<i>Responsible tourism</i>
Tanvir Ahmed / Driknews
Discovering Bangladesh is surely enlightening. Henceforth, it should be challenging too. With tourism taking its toll on the flora, fauna and cultural identity of exotic Bangladesh, local populace across tourism pockets of the country should extend the onus of sustainability of the destinations on visiting tourists through responsible tourism. This will certainly mean that the next time tourists should not be allowed to litter waste foods or try chasing a wild beast during one of their visits to the destination. Taking a leaf out of eco-tourism and rural tourism, where tourism is made sustainable with participation of stakeholders, responsible tourism will be bringing into its fold tourists to ensure longevity of the essence of the region. The entry of motor vehicles to check pollution should be banned in all hill stations. The hotel and motel owners in drinkable water-scarce places of Rangamati, Sylhet and the Saint Martin's should ask tourists to keep a check on water usage. The authorities concerned should be teamed up to check poaching of wildlife. Tourist guides should be careful to make tourists responsible. Not just public awareness, but also the government has to be proactive to promote responsible tourism. Although responsible tourism is in its nascent stage, there will be a growing realization among policymakers that until stakeholders are made accountable in the process, tourism would not survive.
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