Challenges In Developing Bangladesh Tourism Parks: A Journey Of Delays And Setbacks

Published on September 16, 2025

In 2016, nan Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) launched an eager inaugural aimed astatine creating 3 tourism parks successful nan scenic coastal regions of Cox’s Bazar. The expansive imagination was to create astir 11,000 acres of onshore successful Teknaf and Maheshkhali upazilas for eco-friendly and tourist-centered developments. However, almost a decade later, only 1 of these parks remains successful progress, and nary are afloat operational. The dream of creating a thriving tourism hub faces ongoing hurdles, pinch galore delays, biology concerns, and a deficiency of investor interest.

The Vision: Three Tourism Parks successful Cox’s Bazar

Originally, Beza envisioned 3 chopped tourism parks: Sabrang Tourism Park successful Teknaf, covering 967 acres of land; Naf Tourism Park, situated connected 271 acres adjacent nan Naf River, besides successful Teknaf; and nan Sonadia Eco-tourism Park, sprawling crossed 9,467 acres successful Maheshkhali. These parks were expected to boost tourism successful Bangladesh by offering unsocial attractions, including hotels, resorts, eco-cottages, and intermezo facilities. However, nan advancement has been acold from smooth.

Sonadia Eco-tourism Park: Cancelled for Environmental Reasons

The Sonadia Eco-tourism Park task has faced its astir important setback. The authorities cancelled nan park’s improvement owed to biology concerns. The area, which had been earmarked for tourism development, was deemed important for biodiversity conservation, and nan request for its preservation took precedence complete development. Consequently, nan onshore lease was revoked by Beza, halting immoderate further plans for this park.

Naf Tourism Park: A Struggle to Attract Investors

The Naf Tourism Park was initially hoped to beryllium a premier location for hotels, eco-cottages, a cablegram car, and various intermezo facilities, including an underwater edifice and a floating jetty. However, attracting backstage developers to put successful this parkland has proven difficult. In 2024, Beza sought expressions of interest for a public-private business (PPP) to create nan park, but nary companies showed immoderate liking successful taking part. The park’s location adjacent nan Myanmar separator raised concerns complete security, further deterring imaginable investors.

According to Beza officials, nan park’s maestro plan, approved successful 2020, includes eager features, specified arsenic a children’s park, a marine aquarium, and oversea cruises. Yet, contempt its appealing proposal, nan deficiency of liking from backstage companies highlights nan challenges of undertaking large-scale tourism developments successful areas perceived arsenic little secure.

Sabrang Tourism Park: Progress But Slow Development

Among nan 3 planned parks, Sabrang Tourism Park stands retired arsenic nan astir precocious project, though it excessively faces its ain important delays. Located successful nan Teknaf region, Sabrang is seen arsenic a imaginable flagship destination for nan country’s tourism sector. It promises nan building of a five-star hotel, eco-tourism facilities, and moreover typical recreation arrangements to Saint Martin’s Island. Despite this, advancement has been slow owed to incomplete infrastructure development, which has stalled edifice and edifice construction.

Beza has allocated onshore to 28 investors crossed astir 120 acres for edifice construction, pinch finance proposals worthy astir $460 million. However, representatives from nan companies progressive person claimed that they cannot statesman their projects owed to nan deficiency of basal infrastructure. Furthermore, caller tidal surges and adverse upwind conditions person damaged nan protective embankment astatine Sabrang, creating further challenges. In response, Beza is conducting a caller study to create a sustainable solution for preventing coastal erosion.

Challenges successful Infrastructure and Priorities

Despite nan ambition to create a world-class tourer destination, nan improvement of Sabrang remains a secondary privilege for Beza. Currently, nan authority is focused connected 5 economical zones, which are slated for completion wrong nan adjacent 2 years. The zones see Mirsharai’s National Special Economic Zone (NSEZ), nan Srihatta Economic Zone, Jamalpur Economic Zone, nan Maheshkhali Economic Zone, and nan Bangladesh Special Economic Zone. These projects are considered basal for nan country’s economical growth, and their completion is expected to travel earlier immoderate awesome developments astatine Sabrang.

Beza officials person indicated that erstwhile these zones are well-established, attraction will displacement backmost to nan improvement of nan tourism parks, including Sabrang. They stress that infrastructure improvement astatine Sabrang must beryllium carried retired sustainably, pinch semipermanent biology considerations successful mind.

The Economic Impact of Tourism

Despite these ongoing challenges, galore successful nan tourism assemblage reason that Bangladesh’s earthy beauty—rivers, sea, hills, forests, culture, and hospitality—offers immense imaginable for attracting world tourists. However, Bangladesh remains acold down its neighboring countries successful position of overseas tourism, mostly owed to mediocre implementation of tourism projects and continued delays successful nan improvement of infrastructure.

Mohiuddin Helal, a head astatine nan Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation and an editor of Parjatan Bichitra, has pointed retired that dedicated tourism parks, specified arsenic those envisioned by Beza, could importantly boost overseas tourism and section economies. He believes that specified projects should beryllium fixed higher priority, arsenic they committedness important economical benefits done occupation creation and nan maturation of nan hospitality industry.

A Long Road to Development

Ultimately, nan communicative of Bangladesh’s tourism parks is 1 of unrealized imaginable and ongoing challenges. While nan country’s scenic beauty and taste practice connection tremendous opportunities for tourism, nan occurrence of these parks depends connected overcoming a bid of obstacles—ranging from biology concerns to slow infrastructure improvement and information issues. Until these challenges are addressed, nan imagination of a thriving tourism assemblage remains conscionable that—an eager dream.

As Beza continues to attraction connected different economical zones, nan early of Sabrang, Naf, and Sonadia tourism parks remains uncertain. Until then, stakeholders successful nan tourism manufacture are urging nan authorities to prioritize nan completion of these projects and admit their imaginable to thrust economical maturation successful Bangladesh.