A three-day tourism fair began in Cox’s Bazar on Friday to showcase the district’s culture, heritage, traditional food and local products ahead of World Tourism Day.
The fair was inaugurated at 2:30 pm at the open stage at Laboni Point on the beach. Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner Md A Mannan presided over the opening ceremony, while lawmaker Lutfur Rahman Kazal formally inaugurated the fair.
Reserved women’s seat lawmaker Advocate Shamima Ara Swapna, police superintendent ANM Shajadur Rahman, additional district magistrate Tasnim Jahan and senior officials of the administration and law enforcement agencies attended the event.
In his opening speech, Lutfur Rahman Kazal said Cox’s Bazar’s tourism sector should be expanded beyond the sea beach by incorporating the district’s hills, rivers, forests, culture and heritage into tourism.
He stressed the need for tourist safety, a clean environment and improved services to make Cox’s Bazar a more attractive tourism destination.
Shamima Ara Swapna said tourism could create more employment and economic opportunities for local communities.
She said linking tourism with local culture, heritage and products could spread the sector’s economic benefits more widely.
Deputy commissioner Md A Mannan said the administration was working to ensure a safe, clean and pleasant environment for tourists.
He said local culture, heritage and people’s lifestyles were also being presented as part of tourism to promote Cox’s Bazar’s potential at home and abroad.
Police superintendent ANM Shajadur Rahman said law enforcement agencies were working to ensure tourist safety and that security measures would be strengthened at the beach and key tourist spots during the tourism season.
Visitors toured different stalls at the fair, where local food, clothing, handicrafts, and other traditional products were on display.
Saima, a woman entrepreneur participating in the fair, said they were showcasing traditional local food and artistic products to a wider audience.
She hoped the tourism fair would help local entrepreneurs reach more customers and promote their products.
The fair also features stalls displaying local clothing, handicrafts and other traditional products, drawing interest from visitors.
Rohan Islam, a tourist visiting the fair, said he was impressed by the arrangements, particularly the cultural programmes.
“It is enjoyable to attend such an event while visiting Cox’s Bazar,” he said.
The fair’s activities began at around 9:30 am on Friday with a beach clean-up campaign.
The three-day programme includes folk music, Sufi and qawwali performances, folk and duet songs, a fire show, band performances and a kite festival.
On September 27, World Tourism Day, the fair’s closing day will feature a rally, a discussion, demonstrations of emergency services and first aid by lifeguards, and cultural performances by Rakhine and other ethnic communities.
More than 50 stalls have been set up at the fair featuring Cox’s Bazar’s traditional food, clothing and locally made products. The organisers said the event’s main objective was to promote the district’s culture, heritage, and tourism potential.
By Mohammad Morshed
Photo: Mohammad Morshed
