Ecotourism in Bangladesh: Sustainability and Implications

OpenAI, Illustration of Ecotourism in Bangladesh: Sustainability and Implications (ChatGPT, 26 May 2025)

Introduction:

Ecotourism is a sustainable form of natural resources-based tourism that focuses primarily on experiencing and learning about nature. It ethically manages to be low-impact, non-consumptive, and locally oriented while contributing to conserving or preserving such areas. It is more of a purposeful event in the natural areas, which creates an understanding of the cultural and natural history of the environment, safeguarding the integrity of the ecosystem while producing economic opportunities to make the conversion of natural resources beneficial to local people.

Bangladesh boasts unparalleled ecological diversity, featuring the breathtaking Sundarbans mangrove forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the world’s longest uninterrupted beach of Cox’s Bazar, and the serene hills of Bandarban and Rangamati, making it a promising destination for Ecotourism. Ecotourism offers a chance to balance environmental conservation with community empowerment as the country struggles with poverty, degraded rural economies, and ecological deterioration.

The author has explored Bangladesh's potential for Ecotourism, outlined the country's current legal and regulatory environment, and evaluated the obstacles to sustainable Ecotourism in Bangladesh in this blog. The author goes on to describe global Ecotourism best practices as well as strategies for developing sustainable Ecotourism in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s Ecotourism Potential:

The potential and sustainability issues of ecotourism must be taken into account in order to determine whether Bangladesh is making sustainable use of its natural beauty. These challenges can be improved through strategic measures such as strict regulations on waste management, promoting community-based tourism, and investing in eco-friendly infrastructure.

Currently, tourism contributes only 4% to our GDP. Bangladesh provides a distinctive fusion of biodiversity and natural beauty, demonstrating the potential for growth through sustainable ecotourism. The country is home to various wildlifebecause of its verdant forests, picturesque river sceneries, and sun-drenched beaches along the Bay of Bengal. Monkeys, langurs, gibbons, otters, mongooses, Asiatic elephants, leopards, and the Royal Bengal Tiger are among the famous animals that call this place home. With more than 600 bird species and a wide range of reptiles, Bangladesh is a unique location for the growth of ecotourism, which is based on respect for the environment and culture.

However, according to the Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB), Bangladesh hosted around only 650000 foreign tourists last year. At the same time, our neighbouring countries, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, attracted 9.24 million, 1.0 million, and 1.5 million foreign tourists, respectively. This number is disheartening, as the tourism sector has failed to reach its potential compared to other regional countries. Ecotourism is significant because it promotes nature conservation, community participation, profitability, environmental sustainability, social and cultural integrity, and economic well-being by preserving the natural environment and promoting sustainable tourism. If managed sustainably, it can uplift rural economies by creating jobs in guiding, hospitality, and handicrafts while balancing the preservation of ecosystems with community benefits.

Bangladesh has taken specific initiatives for sustainable Ecotourism, such as community-based tourism in Bandarban, which could empower indigenous groups like the Chakma and Marma tribes, who currently see limited financial benefits, but this sector still needs more exploration.

Existing Legal and Regulatory Framework:

Ecotourism and its potential are governed by a number of laws and regulations, but their effective use is hampered by significant barriers. The Constitution of Bangladesh emphasizes the state's responsibility to protect and improve the environment, biodiversity, wetlands, forests, and wildlife for current and future generations.

Among the key policy documents the National Tourism Policy (NTP) 2010 plays a pivotal role tourism sector by focusing on sustainable development, community participation, and environmental protection. The Environmental Conservation Act 1995 is essential for environmental protection and sustainable resource management, particularly relevant to ecotourism development as its directly aligning with ecotourism goals.

The Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Act 1974 protects wildlife and their habitats, regulating hunting, poaching, and wildlife trade. Additionally, the Forest Act of 1927 governs the management and use of forest resources, including those within protected areas. The Protection and Conservation of the Environment Ordinance, 1990 addresses various environmental concerns by addressing a broader range of environmental issues.

The National Tourism Policy 2010 which includes several key activities, such as renovating and developing airports for both domestic and international flights, ensuring traveller safety, and identifying and maintaining tourist spots nationwide. They aim to expand ecotourism destinations while preserving resources, raise public awareness through community activities, and involve local government in promoting Ecotourism. The plans also focus on improving tourism infrastructure through partnerships, monitoring industry performance, building economic sector capacity, and establishing tourism training centres.

Complementing these efforts, the Bangladesh National Conservation Strategy also provides a comprehensive framework for environmental conservation and sustainable development, including Ecotourism. It identifies gaps in existing policies and recommends reform.

Challenges to Sustainable Ecotourism in Bangladesh:

Implementation and enforcement of these regulations remain a challenge despite having laws and a regulatory framework due to factors like –

• the lack of enforceable sustainability certification for resorts,

• insufficient monitoring of eco-friendly practices and

• disrupted coordination between government agencies and private operators. There is not enough visibility into capacity building among stakeholders, including local communities, tour operators, and government agencies.

• Poor tourist experiences and irresponsible behaviour can lead to environmental pollution and degradation.

For instance, the Sundarbans and Cox’s Bazar suffer from plastic waste, untreated sewage discharge, and noise pollution from tourists, which disrupt wildlife habitats and crucially degrade the environment in tourist areas. According to Landsat Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis, unplanned urbanization caused 33.4% of vegetation loss from 2000 to 2015.

The principles of Ecotourism are also disregarded due to a lack of local participation and awareness of the concept, hindering the success of ecotourism initiatives. A high count of visitors beyond the carrying capacity hampers the sustainability of the resources. Not only that, but Ecotourism in Bangladesh faces several constraints, too. The concept of Ecotourism focuses on natural habitats, local cultures, and serene sites, with local or indigenous people influencing tourists positively. However, the absence of help from indigenous people and local riots can cause fear and negativity in the minds of tourists.

There are many government and private tour operators in Bangladesh, but the majority only offer traditional package trips instead of encouraging genuine ecological experiences. Many tour guides, transportation companies, and support personnel are not properly trained or knowledgeable about ecotourism concepts. Poor service quality and perhaps unfavourable social contacts with local populations are common complaints from tourists. The safety and appeal of ecotourism destinations are diminished by the frequent inaction of law enforcement agencies. Although hotels, motels, resorts, and private guesthouses engage in ecotourism-related activities, the entire ecotourism experience is undermined by their frequent lack of uniform pricing, consistent service quality, and appropriate visitor advice.

International Best Practices in Ecotourism:

While maintaining sustainability in Ecotourism is challenging, Bangladesh can take inspiration from several countries like Costa Rica, Bhutan, Norway, and Nepal. For example, Costa Rica generates 5% of its GDP revenue powered by strict certifications like Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST), which ensures environmentally responsible practices. Bhutan mandates a daily tourist fee (USD 200-250) to fund conservation and community projects.

Norway involves local communities in managing fjord tourism to ensure adherence to emission standards and equitable profit-sharing. The introduction of the buffer zones program, due to significant investment in plantation and forest-management initiatives, became a promising factor for forest conservation and ecotourism, as seen in Chitwan National Park in Nepal. Buffer zones in Nepal were established to provide forest resources that had not been plundered from national parks/ wildlife reserves. Nepal’s Buffer Zone Management Regulation 1996 granted rights to local people for community development, forest management, and buffer zone utilization to stimulate public involvement to conserve resources and reduce park-people conflict. Local People also obtained various social and economic benefits from protected areas, and such areas raised income via tourism-related employment or affiliated markets, which could be spent on household assets.

Bangladesh can use such strategies in environmentally delicate areas to improve community well-being and environmental preservation. Implementing balanced pricing structures, incorporating local or tribal councils in governance, and introducing certification systems could all be useful and reasonably priced ways to encourage sustainable ecotourism in the nation.

Approaches for Achieving Sustainable Ecotourism in Bangladesh:

Achieving sustainable Ecotourism requires a multifaceted approach to environmental conservation, community involvement, and responsible tourism practices. This includes minimizing the environmental impact of tourism, empowering local communities, educating visitors about conservation, and ensuring long-term ecological and socio-economic benefits.

To revolutionize the whole ecotourism industry for sustainability and proper implementation of the legal framework, Bangladesh can take several steps, including educating locals about Ecotourism, implementing law enforcement measures for site safety, providing adequate restrooms and refreshment zones, implementing proper waste management system, energy efficiency, and habitat restoration to mitigate the adverse environmental effects of tourism.

Addressing unauthorized construction, training tour operators and service providers, implementing punitive actions for eco-tourist violations, the establishment of visitor limits in sensitive areas to prevent ecological degradation and ensuring economic benefits for local/Indigenous people etc.

Collectively, these measures aim to preserve the integrity of ecotourism destinations while promoting responsible practices that protect Bangladesh’s natural heritage for future generations.

Conclusion:

Ecotourism in Bangladesh has enormous potential as a sustainable tourism model. Still, its success depends on striking a balance that gives equal weight to environmental protection, community well-being, and financial sustainability. Although it can be an effective means of creating employment, its real value is cultivating a profound love and respect for the natural world and enabling rural and indigenous communities to take charge of their own ecological and cultural legacy. Despite Bangladesh's abundant natural beauty, from the Sundarbans to the hill tracts, there are still many obstacles to genuinely sustainable Ecotourism, such as a lack of awareness, policy flaws, and infrastructure deficiencies. A thorough and inclusive strategy backed by effective governance and community involvement is necessary to make Ecotourism a long-term, sustainable activity.