11th Asian Tourism Fair in Dhaka from Thursday

11th Asian Tourism fair Sept 19 to 21, 2024

Dhaka, Sept 18 – The 11th Asian Tourism Fair (ATF) will be held at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) from September 19-21 with strong presence from the partner country Maldives.

Parjatan Bichitra is hosting the fair with the support and cooperation of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Bangladesh Tourism Board, Bangladesh Tourism Corporation, and the Tourist Police Bangladesh.

High Commissioner of Maldives to Bangladesh Shiuneen Rasheed said the people-to-people connections between the countries are robust and can be traced back to centuries.

“It is the essence of our current bilateral agenda. We are therefore excited to witness an exponential increase in the number of tourist arrivals from Bangladesh,” she said.

This is indeed the beginning of a new chapter of relations between Maldives and Bangladesh, said the High Commissioner, adding that the main purpose of having such a strong presence at ATF this year is to show that Maldives is ready to warmly welcome our Bangladesh friends to our shores.

This year 23 companies from Maldives are participating in this fair.

They are Sun Siyam Travels, Sky Beach Dhiffushi, Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, Kaani Palm Beach, Ryoko Maldives, ITAW Travel & Tours, Island life Travel Pvt Ltd, Heritance Aarah, HulhuVilla Beach, ARENA BEACH, Tatabye Maldives Pvt Ltd, Stone Hotels, V Travels and Tours, Inner Maldives Pvt Ltd, Zaha Travels, Secretariat of the Maafushi Council, IASL, Naalis Travels & Tours Pvt Ltd, Season Holiday, Crossroads, Silver Oasis, Ostrov Maldives and Triton Prestige.

The objective of the Asian Tourism Fair (ATF Dhaka) is to link regional tourism. It is both a B2B and B2C event for inbound and outbound tourism.

The fair will help connect industry partners, service providers and travellers said the organizers.

Asian Tourism Fair is a comprehensive tourism showcase for better business networking, coordination of private sectors, government organisations and development agencies among the countries.

Deputy Managing Director, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation Zihuny Rasheed said the Maldives' presence at ATF 2024 reflects their commitment to strengthening ties with the emerging Bangladeshi market.

“With a growing economy, Bangladesh is a promising source market for the Maldives. Tourist arrivals from Bangladesh to the Maldives have increased by at least 38% this year, demonstrating the market's resilience and potential for further growth for the Maldives tourism industry,” Zihuny said. - UNB