For the first time, the International Tourism Fair was held at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the capital. Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) has organized this fair to strengthen the country’s tourism sector in the post-Corona era. According to the organizers, the first-time fair has received good response. In this three-day long fair, including bookings, there was a business of 100 crores.

Yesterday, Saturday, the last day of the fair was visited, the fair grounds were crowded with people throughout the day. Visitors gather information about travel within the country as well as outside the country. 90 local and foreign institutions participated in the fair. Organizers said that these institutions have done good business.

Atab Secretary General Abdus Salam Aref told Prothom Alo, “People have spontaneously participated in this international standard event. Businessmen are very happy with this. We are also more confident than ever to successfully hold such an event for the first time. Having many institutions under one roof has benefited the visitors.

Abdus Salam Aref, in response to the question of how much business was done in three days, said, “According to the information we have, the amount of cash transactions including bookings is about 100 crores. We must express satisfaction with the business done in the first event. People want to travel under various pressures, this is a positive thing. We are also trying to advance the tourism sector of the country.

At the tourism fair, the stalls of the air transport companies were observed to be very crowded. Among them, the stalls of private sector airlines US-Bangla Airlines, NovoAir and newly launched Air Astra were more crowded. The crowd of visitors was also noticeable at the stall of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, a government organization. Online based service providers such as Share Trip, Flight Expert and Travel Champ are participating in the fair along with various resort and travel service providers including travel, visa.

These organizations present products for sale at a discount on the occasion of the fair. People from different classes and professions who came to the fair took advantage of this opportunity.

Nishat Tasneem, a private employee, told Prothom Alo, “There is a plan to go out of the country at the end of the year. I came to the fair looking for a good foreign travel package. I have also booked a package for Turkey. I hope to get good service.

There was also a mixed reaction among many of the participants of the fair to allow companies from outside the country to participate in the fair. Many people said that there is a dollar crisis in the country now. Now people should be encouraged to travel within the country instead of encouraging them to travel outside the country. That would be good for the economy.

Organizers claim that giving opportunities to foreign institutions creates a relationship with those countries. Foreign tourists also get interest. They hope that it will create a way to earn foreign exchange for the country.