Avoid unregistered travel agencies, civil aviation ministry warns
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has issued an emergency warning urging travellers not to make any payments for air tickets, tours or travel packages through unregistered travel agencies or agencies with expired licences.
In a press statement issued today, the ministry said the warning was issued after a report, titled “UK sanctions Bangladeshi travel agency ‘Dream Home Travels’ over human trafficking to Russia”, published in the Bangla online edition of The Daily Star on May 7, 2026 came to its attention.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Referring to a report published in Bangla daily Kaler Kantho on January 28, 2025, titled “Eight Bangladeshis in Russia war”, the ministry said its verification found that the licence of Dream Home Travels, owned by MM Abul Hasan, expired on April 3, 2021.
According to the Bangladesh Travel Agency Registration and Control Act, 2013, registration of travel agencies is mandatory.
The ministry said all registration and renewal activities must be completed online through the Travel Agency Management System under the Bangladesh Travel Agency Registration Authority.
It also said many agencies continue operating despite expired licences or without registration, and are allegedly involved in fraud and harassment of customers.
The ministry also urged travellers to verify whether a travel agency is registered or has an expired licence through the Travel Agency Management System before purchasing tickets or tour packages to avoid financial losses or fraud.
An official of the civil aviation ministry said today that steps had been taken for action against MM Abul Hassan, owner of Dream Home Travels, over his alleged involvement in human trafficking to Russia.
After the agency's license expired in 2021, it did not apply for renewal, sources at the ministry said. Since then, this travel agency was put on black list.
Wishing anonymity, an official of the ministry said, in 2025, the ministry sent letters to all deputy commissioners to take actions against illegal activities of this travel agency as its whereabouts could not be located.
The United Kingdom recently announced a fresh round of sanctions targeting Russia’s drone production network and groups, including Dream Home Travels, accused of exploiting vulnerable migrants to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, reports UNB.
The new measures -- published on May 5 -- target 35 individuals and organisations, including those linked to human trafficking operations and companies supplying components for Russia’s military drone industry.
The British High Commission in Dhaka clarified that the relevance to Bangladesh of these sanctions is that the UK is sanctioning the travel agency, which is responsible for the deception and exploitation of Bangladeshis to fight in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Afsia Jannat Saleh, immediate past secretary general of Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) told The Daily Star that Dream Home Travels is not a member of the association.
"When the ministry sought information from us, we gave them our opinion that the ministry can remove the registration and license of the travel agent," she said.
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