Blue tourism, widely referred to as coastal and maritime tourism, encompasses beach, land, and water-based tourism activities in coastal areas. It is a part of the blue economy that emphasises maintaining the health of ocean ecosystems while using ocean resources sustainably for job creation, economic growth, and better livelihoods. The idea of a blue economy was first introduced by Belgian economist Professor Gunter Pauli in 1994. Later, the concept of blue tourism gained traction around the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 in Brazil. This conference had two primary themes: one is A Green Economy in Sustainable Development and Poverty Alleviation, and another is an Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development.
Bangladesh has the largest scenic and beautiful sea beach, from which visitors can see the sunrise and sunset. Coastal or marine tourism in Bangladesh offers several activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, sightseeing, parasailing, coastal cruises, surfing, fishing, swimming, festivals, local handicrafts, shopping, seafood, boat cruising, bird watching, visiting islands, dolphin watching, exploring floating restaurants, beach biking, coastal walks, kite-flying, sunbathing.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) states that maritime and coastal tourism have enormous potential in the blue economy and have the potential to be one of Bangladeshs main sources of tourism income.Ocean contributed $6.2 billion in 2015 (from which 25% was tourism and recreation) in total value addition to Bangladeshs economy, which implies 3% of GDP (Business Standard 2020).
According to UNDP, coastal tourism is the worlds largest market segment, delivering 6-7% of all employment and 5% of GDP. Moreover, by 2030, 1.5 million more people will be employed globally in coastal and maritime tourism.This sector will produce job opportunities for nearly 8.5 million people worldwide by 2030, which is a rise of 21.4% from 2010 (7 million employment in 2010). According to a recent study by (Islam and Sarker (2021).
Bangladesh has the worlds longest sea beach at Coxs Bazar, which is 120 kilometres long, and Patuakhali Sea Beach, which is also 30 kilometres long. Besides, Bangladesh has a 118,813-square-kilometre maritime boundary with a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone from the coastline area, a 12-nautical-mile territorial zone, and a 781-kilometre coastline and island area, which creates a chance of unprecedented opportunities for Bangladesh to quicken the growth of the blue economy. It is to be said that the potential 75 islands, along with the 26 off-shore islands in Bangladesh, will play a vital role in the development of blue tourism, including Saint Martin, Nijum, Hatiya, and so on.
Bangladesh has huge opportunities for blue tourism to generate revenue and contribute to the GDP, create employment opportunities, foreign currency earnings, and community development, boost the local economy, and develop infrastructure that attracts more tourists.
Though blue tourism has huge prospects, there are several challenges here. The first one is the lack of activities that are not sufficient to attract domestic and foreign tourists. The second challenge is the lack of infrastructure. The third challenge is safety and security in coastal areas. The fourth challenge is the absence of environmental awareness about ocean biodiversity among tourists and stakeholders. The other challenges are the lack of digital promotion and branding tools, the absence of a sufficient budget, and the absence of proper planning.
To overcome these challenges, the government has taken several initiatives to attract both indigenous and foreign tourists. The Bangladesh Economics Zone Authority (BEZA, 2021) has taken the lead in developing three tourism parks, Sabrang, Naf, and Sonadia, intending to draw in foreign visitors. The building project has started. When tourists get all the facilities together after the completion of the three parks, it will generate an additional $2 billion in economic activity annually. Besides, 40 thousand people will be provided with employment. Sheikh Hasina Tower and Ethnic Village are being constructed in Khurushkul, Coxs Bazar. Besides, Coxs Bazar Airport is being upgraded to international standards along with the development of all airports in the country to ensure easy and comfortable travel for tourists.
A railway line is built from Dhaka to Coxs Bazar. The authority is trying to purchase a new cruise ship for smooth ocean transportation and better service. The government is trying to improve the existing tourist zone and increase the safety and security system. For the sustainable development of the countrys tourism industry, the tourism master plan is being formulated.
The government and tourism authority of Bangladesh should priorities increasing tourism-based activities like arranging fairs and festivals, arranging open concerts on the beach area, creating special arrangements for underwater-based activities like underwater photography, underwater fishing, underwater archaeology, coral reef exploration, eating and sleeping with fish, and arranging submarine tours. Todays visitors are more adventurous, so if the authorities can provide such activities, they will capture a larger part of indigenous and foreign tourists, which contributes to developing our economy.
Besides fostering public-private partnerships (PPP) investment, particularly foreign investment, preserving local heritage and culture is essential.
The writer is a student of Islamic University, Kushtia, Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management
