Today marks the celebration of World Tourism Day. This year’s theme, “Tourism and Digital Transformation & Artificial Intelligence,” has sparked a week-long series of innovative and festive initiatives across Bangladesh, promising to elevate the nation’s tourism sector to new heights. Notably, the grand exhibition at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, the week-long festival in Cox’s Bazar—the world’s longest natural sandy beach—and the debut of the “Bangladesh Tourism Awards 2026” to honour industry pioneers are highly commendable steps.
However, the genuine development of Cox’s Bazar cannot be achieved through flashy festivals alone. As a developing nation, we must remember that to attain the grand global vision of digital transformation and AI, we must first address the tangible, ground-level crises. Leaping toward advanced technologies while ignoring fundamental and mid-level shortcomings will never yield fruit. Therefore, the first step must be to dismantle the malicious syndicates controlling hotels, restaurants, and transport, and enforce a mandatory fixed price list. Simultaneously, it is crucial to eliminate petty harassment on the beach, persistent vendors, and littering, while ensuring basic tourist amenities such as adequate public restrooms, safe changing rooms, and modern locker facilities. Only after modernizing lifeguard services, ensuring 24/7 tourist police security, and installing high-mast beach lighting should we advance to major initiatives like water sports or hassle-free international on-arrival visas.
Equally important is recognizing that a tourist destination encompasses the entire town of Cox’s Bazar, not just the beach area. Tourists explore the whole town for shopping, dining, and sightseeing. Yet, the severe mosquito menace, chaotic traffic jams, waterlogging from an unplanned drainage system, broken roads, occupied pavements, and extortionate fares in public transport bitterly ruin the tourist experience. Hence, civic and infrastructural development across the entire city is just as vital as upgrading the beach zone.
Once these primary, city-wide issues are successfully resolved, our next step will be to transform Cox’s Bazar into a comprehensive “Smart Tourism City.” In that long-term phase, high-speed free Wi-Fi, a central tracking app, and AI-driven customized tour plans can be fully integrated. Subsequently, we can pursue mega-investments like international theme parks, regulated night-life zones, underwater aquariums, luxury cruise ships, and green eco-tourism zones. However, we must remember that the foundation of any modern dream must be laid at the absolute grassroots; otherwise, it will lack sustainability and collapse.
Therefore, let our new and modern tourism milestones be anchored firmly through today’s small yet pragmatic ground-level reforms.
By Salam Abu
Editor
