Tourism fair starts today

A three-day international tourism fair organised by Tour Operators'
Association of Bangladesh ( TOAB) begins today. GM Quader, civil
aviation and tourism minister, is scheduled to inaugurate the show
styled Bangladesh Travel and Tourism Fair (BTTF) 2009 at Bangabandhu
International Conference Centre. "The main objective of the fair is
to create awareness about local tourist destinations and potentials
of the country among other participants," said Taufiq Uddin Ahmed,
president of TOAB. "We have beautiful tourist spots in the country,
but we lack sufficient infrastructure. We need more investment, both
local and foreign, to develop the sector further," he added. The TOAB
chief was speaking at a press conference yesterday to announce the
exposition. Ahmed said more than 100 foreign delegates would attend
the fair that include tour operators and travel agents from India,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bhutan, China, Thailand, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Singapore and Myanmar. Travel agents, airlines, financial
institutions, training institutions, souvenir shops, cruise lines,
hotels and resorts from home and abroad are likely to take part in
the fair. The fair will remain open from 10 am to 8 pm every day with
an entry fee of Tk 20 per person.