Advancing domestic tourism’s contribution to poverty alleviation and development : in perspective of Bangladesh

Abstract

Poverty eradication has become not just a moral imperative in an affluent world where the gap be-tween rich and poor countries looks to have widened in recent years, but also a precondition for peace, environmental preservation, and sustainable development. There is growing evidence that sustainable tourism development and management can significantly reduce poverty, especially in rural areas where the majority of the poor reside and where opportunities for economic growth are limited, even though domestic tourism is still on the rise.

The study aimed to find out how domestic tourism can help to reduce poverty in Bangladesh. While increasing domestic tourism is important this thesis argued that it won't be enough to solve poverty on its own. The benefits of tourism should not just go to the wealthy, rather, they should trickle down to all members of society, especially the poor. Equally poorly understood are the causes of poverty, nota-bly the role that the actions of the poor play in perpetuating their situation. When the right measures are taken, Bangladesh, a developing nation with a rich history, will have a great future. The tourist industry is one area with great potential for the country to generate employment and help local econ-omies. Sustainable tourism could be an effective instrument in the fight against poverty. The benefits of tourism can be more distributed and reach the people who need them most through strategies like pro-poor tourism, and community-based tourism. Even though it is still a developing nation at present it has a rich history and with the implementation of appropriate reforms, a bright future.

Sustainable tourism can aid the poor by promoting activities that reduce their impact on the environ-ment. The study investigated the potential benefits of tourism for the poor, as well as the barriers that prevent these benefits from being fully realized. Opportunities for training and education, aiding small and medium-sized businesses, and encouraging local enterprise and entrepreneurship are just a few of how sustainable tourism may help community development and emphasis is given to government poli-cies, involvement, commitment and even individual emphasis as well.