RIYADH: Bangladesh wants Saudi tourists to come over and visit, eyeing untapped tourism revenues.
Muhammad Ali Akbar, deputy head of the Bangladeshi mission at it s embassy in Riyadh, said that a big business delegation which included a number of Bangladeshi tourism officials will visit Saudi Arabia at a date he tentatively set between April 16 and 21.
The Bangladeshi tourism sector is comparatively untapped for Saudi tourists, he said.
He said that Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal, CEO of Kingdom Holdings, who visited Bangladesh last year, took the first step to open the country s tourism sector for Saudis by showing his enthusiasm to build upscale hotels and resorts in Bangladesh s tourist attractions, he said. Prince Al-Waleed is sending a team of experts to Bangladesh in the second week of April to assess the possibilities of setting up the hotels and resorts.
Saudis already frequent Bangladesh, mostly for business or for recruiting manpower.
But only a few thousand Saudis visit as tourists, said Akbar.
He said Bangladesh, like other countries in Asia, offers a host of tourist attractions. The country has a long shoreline and enjoys a pleasant weather during the holiday season.
Asian countries have started to lure Saudi tourists following September 11, 2001, when they began to avoid visiting the US and other European countries due to growing risks of being targeted with retaliation and being wrongly accused of terrorism. Malaysia is emerging as one of the most tourist-attracting countries in the Southeast Asia, where a larger number of Saudi tourists now prefer to go.
Our society is multi-racial, and international tourists have a lot to experience in terms of history, heritage and culture, which date as far back as the pre-historic era, the diplomat said.
He played down any possible difficulties in issuing visas to Saudis, saying that the Bangladeshi embassy in Riyadh and its consulate in Jeddah mostly process the visas within 24 hours. The visas are valid for a period that ranges from one to three months, based on the purpose of the visit.
However, multiple visas are issued with a validity ranging from six months to one year, said Akbar.
He said his country needs more Saudi investments in tourism development and the related infrastructure, such as fast transport systems, hotels and resorts.
He said a delegation of Saudi businessmen, represented by the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI) and the Supreme Commission of Tourism (SCT), is planning to visit Bangladesh this year. The visit is being organized by Islamic Chamber of Commerce.
He revealed that Bangladesh is planning to organize a Single Country Fair in Riyadh from May 25 to 28. The fair will offer diverse business opportunities available in Bangladesh to Saudi businessmen and investors, all under one roof.
Bangladesh has established a number of sector-specific export process zones, where Saudis can visit and explore business opportunities in areas such as agriculture, textiles, food processing and infrastructure development.
By Shahid Ali Khan
© The Saudi Gazette 2006
