Dhaka, April 30:

Bangladesh, one of the poorest and most crowded countries in the world, is fighting an uphill battle to promote tourism to bring in badly needed cash.

The Western media’s portrayal of Bangladesh as a nation of cyclones and militant attacks has made foreigners wary of visiting. They go instead to nearby India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand or Myanmar. Even a travel fair held this month attracted only 25 foreign delegates. However, for the Dhaka Travel Mart’s organiser — Bangladesh Monitor magazine, the travel fair was a success.

“First, we persuaded president Iajuddin Ahmed to open the Dhaka Travel Mart,” says the Monitor’s editor in chief, Kazi Wahidul Alam, “This is the first time our president has shown interest in tourism. Second, foreign tourist organisations and airlines took part in the fair, and the UAE’s national carrier announced it will launch a UAE-Bangladesh regular flight in May.” The country, wedged between India and Myanmar on the Bay of Bengal, could certainly use the income increased tourism would bring.

Nearly half of its 147 million people live in poverty. Its large population contributes to its economic woes while it also must brace for natural disasters, such as drought, cyclones and flooding.

On top of it all, the international anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International last year named Bangladesh as the most corrupt country in the world, further tarnishing its international image. Yet, this primarily Muslim country has its beauties. The capital Dhaka, known as the City of Mosques, boasts of 1,500 of these places of worship. The Sundarbans National Park is the world’s largest sanctuary for Bengal tigers. The beach at Cox’s Bazaar is what Bangladesh claims to be the world’s longest unbroken beach, and the coral reefs of St Martin’s Island are a paradise for scuba divers.

However, there is a price to pay for seeing these sights because foreign tourists must put up with inconveniences like traffic jams, air pollution and daily power outages. “The living conditions in Bangladesh are unbearable,” says an American woman working for a non-profit body, “It is worse than hell. Nothing is working here because improving the infrastructure is not the government’s priority.”

Bangladesh began to promote tourism in 1992 by forming the National Tourism Organisation and introducing hotel-management courses at some colleges. In 2005, 207,662 foreigners visited Bangladesh, up from 115,000 in 1990 but down from 2004’s 271,270. That drop was caused by natural disasters and bombings by militants seeking to establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh.

Nowadays, there are more foreign business visitors than tourists as Bangladesh is still shunned by foreign agencies and backpackers. Hospitality is deep-rooted here because for the locals, visitors are the representatives of Allah.