The potential of "riverine tourism" is tapering off due to the negligence of the authorities including the relevant ministry, industry insiders say.
The absence of inter-ministerial coordination, bureaucratic red tape, and the attitude of different ministries are seen as major deterrents to developing this segment of the tourism sector.
Bangladesh lags behind India, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka in the region, which have set examples of developing tourism as one of their main economic sectors.
The riverine tourism sector could not take off despite its substantial prospect in a country where rivers dot the delta nation.
In addition to poor infrastructure, navigability of the rivers, vessel, jetty, security and management, the situation is blamed on the lack of mapping out of the destinations and routes.
Private tour operators have been trying to promote the riverine tourism on their own as there are a lot of demands for it among local and foreign tourists.
"The potential of riverine tourism is huge, which has been destroyed now. Rivers are polluted and have been grabbed. There are no proper infrastructure, vessels, tourist attractions by the riverside," said Zamiul Ahmed, a private sector member of the state-run Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB).
He said the culture of riverine tourism has not taken root among Bangladeshi tourists.
The government should create facilities and catalyse private sector investments in tourist vessels, he said, adding manpower should be developed while upgrading various tourist spots, accommodation, recreation facilities beside the rivers to attract tourists.
Chairman of Dhaka University tourism and hospitality department Md Badruzzaman Bhuiyan said there is no coordinated programmes and specific action plan to develop and promote the riverine tourism by the Board, Parjatan Corporation (BPC) or even the ministry.
"The bureaucracy is the main obstacle, for which many initiatives die," he added.
There is no such a small country like Bangladesh, where 450 rivers crisscross the nation, he said.
Utilising these rivers for the tourism purpose with proper plan of action, management and infrastructure will help open up a new era, argued Mr Badruzzaman.
"The government must specify the destinations, provide security, develop infrastructure, ensure proper management, accommodation and establish recreation facilities to popularise the riverine tourism," he said.
Citing the data of tourism department of DU, he said, the number of domestic tourists was 5.0 million in 2010, which reached 9.8 million in 2016 and 13.7 million in 2018.
The number of domestic tourists will reach 40 million by 2024.
Mahbub Hossion Sumon, managing director of Touch Creation, a tour company promoting riverine tourism, told the FE that the lack of tourist vessel and tourist police are the two major barriers to popularising this segment in the country.
"It's not possible to operate tourist groups with the commercial passenger vessels. The government must develop infrastructure and create facilities to show the tourists the main theme of riverine tourism that is rural life beside the rivers and various infrastructure," he said.
About the lack of private luxury tourist vessel, he said the tour operators are not in an advantageous position to buy vessels as banks are not interested to invest in the tourism sector.
They consider it a risky business as it is the 22nd priority sector of the government, he added.
Similar views came from Taufiq Rahman, chief executive of Journey Plus.
He said it is difficult to popularise the riverine tourism from Dhaka.
The condition of the rivers in Dhaka like Buriganaga and Turag is not suitable for river tourism as those are grabbed and severely polluted, he added.
He noted there is a lack of luxury tourist vessel, human resource and infrastructure. Only inter-district riverine tourism has the potential and can be popular among tourists as the rivers outside Dhaka up to Barisal, Sundarbans are perfect, he added.
Spokesperson of the state-run Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation Ziaul Haque Howlader did not acknowledge the shortcomings of the riverine tourism management.
Enjoying a river cruise down the Buriganga up to Chandpur can be a life-time experience for both foreign and domestic tourists, he argued.
River-cruising is one of best tourism activities in Bangladesh during the winter. Tour operators organise river cruises frequently as per the demands of both domestic and foreign tourists. During the cruising tourists get mesmerised at the idyllic beauty of rural Bangladesh.
"We operate a tourist vessel named Shaluk - a larger size yacht from Pagla, Naryanganj VIP Ghat," he said, adding the corporation is all set to procure two vessels this year at cost of Tk 600 million to promote the riverine tourism in the country by the middle of this year.
He noted a dialogue is underway between the BPC and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) to conduct heritage river cruise by Ostrich, a British-era paddle steamer.
