Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management

Faculty of Business Studies

University of Dhaka

Fairs and festivals based tourism development in Bangladesh: A study.

Submitted To

Prof. Dr. Md. Afjal Hossain

Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management

Faculty of Business Studies

University of Dhaka

Submitted By

Mohammad Saiful Islam

ID No.: 71724020

Batch: 24th

Course: Tourism Marketing Comm. (6003-B)

Semester: Summer 2021

 CONTENTS
Abstract
Introduction
Festivals of Bangladesh
Religious Festivals
Cultural & Traditional Festivals
Art Festivals
National Fairs
Impact of Cultural Tourism
Opportunities and Challenges
Recommendations
Conclusion
Fairs and festivals based tourism development in Bangladesh: A study.

Abstract
Fairs and festivals based Tourism is experiencing continuous expansion and
diversification in recent years. It has become a popular and attractive sector to
impart mental recreation and as an instrument for education. Bangladesh is a
country of diversified culture enriched with cultural resources. This study
attempts to review the available facilities of fairs and festivals based tourism, the
history, role of tourism on the economy and society in general in Bangladesh.
Also, the study identifies the opportunities and challenges the country may face
to flourish this industry.

Introduction
The term Fairs and festivals based Tourism emerges from the terms culture and
tourism. The term culture relates to people’s interactions with one another, that
these interactions result in learning and further that learning can be accumulated
and passed on. Throughout the evolutionary process people are observing
different distinct society and culture. Human being gets attracted on founding
differences by nature. This mortal nature is the main motive for travelling from
one place to places throughout the world which emerges the term tourism in
general. For many tourists, travelling to experience different cultures equates to
cultural tourism. For these travelers, encountering different cultures is
synonymous with a cultural tourism experience. They consume the different
sights, sounds, tastes and smells of an unfamiliar culture. On the other hand,
academics and tourism marketers define cultural tourism as a discrete product
category that is differentiated from other tourism activities or attractions by
consumption of a destination’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage (Richards,
1996; Hall and MacArthur, 1998; Leask and Yeoman, 1999). A growing body of
literature indicates that some people are more highly motivated to participate in
cultural tourism than others.
Festivals of Bangladesh
Fairs and festivals have always played a significant role in the life of the citizens of
this country. They derive from them a great amount of joy, entertainment and
color for life. Festivals refer to a day or period of the year when people stop
working to celebrate a special event. Festivals are common to all societies and
cultures. Most festivals of Bangladesh have the stamp of religion. Besides, there
are some festivals in Bangladesh that are related to community, nationality and
politics.

Religious Festivals
Eid Ul Fitr:
This is the most joyful occasion of all Muslims across the country. Even, the non-
Muslims like to join the celebration of Eid with everyone. The holy day comes
after the month of Ramadan where the Muslim believers performed fasting for 30
days. It is believed that the Eid day is the blessing from Allah to enjoy the
achievement after long 30 days’ fasting. 
In the morning, all the mosques and fields are filled with people to perform the
Eid Salat. Prior to that, they take shower, get ready wearing new Pajama-Panjabi
and apply perfume. After finishing Eid prayer, they embrace each-other and finally
leave the Eidgah compound. Next, everyone visit their families, neighbors and
relatives and have delicious foods. Sweet desserts like Kheer, Payesh and also the
heavy items like Biriyani, Korma are served throughout the day. In the evening,
people go out and crowd the recreational places like Cinema, Wonderland,
Bowling or Laser Tag. People enjoy 3 days Government holiday for Eid. 

Eid Ul Adha:
This is another Eid for Muslims which occurs about 2 months after the Eid Ul Fitr.
Likewise, people perform their Eid Salat in the morning. After returning from
mosques they take some light breakfast. This is the holy Eid where they sacrifice
their favorite animals for Allah. The streets are crowded with mostly cows and
goats. After slaughtering those, people engage themselves in butchering the
meat. Then the meat is distributed in 3 portions. One is for own, another one is
for relatives and the rest of the part is distributed among poor people. By
evening, the meat is cooked and people start having them and enjoy the taste of
Eid with everyone.   
Durga Puja:
Durga Puja is an annual festival for Hindu Believers. This occasion comes at the
Hindu month of ‘Ashvin’ and lasts for 4 days. As you would expect, the event
consists of family and social gatherings. Gifting to each-other, lighting and
decorating houses are very common.  People worship their Goddess Durga inside
temples. They perform ancient religious singing and dancing and paste powder-
color on each-other’s faces to bring the celebration mode on. Eventually, the
process ends with idol immersion in the river.    

Buddha Purnima:
Buddha Purnima is celebrated by Buddhist descent of the country to celebrate the
calendar. On this day, the Buddhist temples are decorated. A fair is held outside
of temples. Also, some music containing Buddha’s message is played. Finally, the
believers attend the prayer, light candles and recite the 3 jewels and 5 precepts.  
Christmas:
Christmas or ‘Boro Din’ (The Big Day) in Bengali is celebrated among the Christian
community as the birth of Jesus Christ. It is an annual occasion observed on 25th
December. On this day, the houses are decorated beautifully with lights, flowers
and ribbons. Christmas tree is made or bought from shops. Delicious foods are
cooked. In fact, a grand dinner is organized at night. Neighbors and Relatives
come to visit. Santa Claus, known as Father Christmas arrives at homes wearing
red gown and spectacles with long white beard. Children love him as he brings
gifts for them wrapped by colorful papers. 
Less than 1% of the total population are Christian. You will be able to see the
majority of them living in the hilly region of the country. The day is declared as
public holiday.

Cultural & Traditional Festivals

Pohela Baishakh:
One of the cultures that Bengali people have been following with zeal for
centuries, is Pahela Baishakh. This is the 1st day of Bengali New Year and the most
popular occasion of Bangladesh. Both men and women are dressed in red and
white. Girls wear Saree with colorful bangles and boys wear Panjabi. Various
activities are held in many places throughout the day. Bengali foods like Panta
Ilish (Hilsha fish and rice), various Pithas (cakes), Candy floss etc are presented in
front of the visitors in the fair. Nagordola (Ferris wheel) is set up for amusement.
Meanwhile, folk songs are played under Bot-tola (Banyan tree).

Over 10 thousand people march at ‘Mangal Shobhajatra’ (Procession for well-

being) – a very old tradition that takes place at Dhaka University area. This rally
reflects the Secularism of Bangladesh and the unity and indifference that bring all
the races and religion together. Students of Dhaka University carry colorful
handmade banners, festoons and massive art faces decorated with cock-sheet
and paint.        

Pohela Falgun:
Pahela Falgun is one of the most popular days in the Bengali Culture. Generally,
this day is on the 13th February of the year. This is the 1st day of spring. People
welcome this day wearing yellow and white. Some people buy flowers and
present those to their loved ones. Bengali women set flower-crown around their
head. They like to use variety of flowers but majorly Marigold as it has the color of
Spring. The most beautiful Spring song “Basanta Esche Geche” (The Spring has
arrived) is played everywhere from the morning. Cultural Institutes organize
programs like dance shows and song performances.     

Nabanna:
Nabanna is the crop harvesting celebration among the farmers in rural areas.
Farmers are happy because the crop is ready after the months of hard toiling. Lots
of part-time work opportunity arises at rural areas especially at this time of the
year. For instance, huge labor-force are appointed to cut the crops. The houses
are filled up with new crops. The smell of new crop is found everywhere. Farmers
then go to the market and sell the most part of their crops. They don’t get a good
amount of money for their hard work for months. However, the return brings

smile to their faces. Villagers celebrate the day with food, dance and music.

Nouka Baich:
Nouka Baich (Boat Rowing) is the traditional sport observed in rural areas. The
participants of the same team, ranging from 10 to 20 passengers, ride in a long
boat and paddle firmly to put their boat ahead of other participatory teams. This
game occurs in the large rivers and people generally organize this kind of fun due
to any local or national level success. Thousands of people gather to witness this
program. There is a prize-money for the winner also which is handed-over by the
local Chairman.  
Shakrain:
This event occurs annually in the capital, Dhaka, more specifically at the Old Town
at the end of the Bengali month ‘Poush.’ The event is also known as ‘Poush
Shankranti.’ It is a Kite festival. The skies of Old Town are crowded with colorful
kites. This festival is very old and traditional. People from various places come to
the Old Town to enjoy the scenes. The event starts from the afternoon. At
evening, there are fireworks everywhere to maximize the pleasure. Delicious
refreshments and DJ program are organized. Everyone drink and dance
throughout the evening.
Shaheed Dibash:
The 21st day of February (EKUSHEY FEBRUARY) is being officially observed as the
Shaheed Dibash (Martyrs' Day). This event was the first significant victory of the
Bangalis against attempts of cultural subversion by the Pakistani ruling clique. The
day has also been accorded recognition by the UNESCO as the INTERNATIONAL
MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY. The Shaheed Day is observed with great solemnity,
starting from midnight when streams of people arrive and climb the steps of the
Central SHAHEED MINAR (it has replicas all over the country) to lay floral wreaths
and chant the song of immortal Ekushey “Amar bhaiyer raktey rangano Ekushey
February, Ami ki bhulitey pari” (How can I forget the 21st February which is
daubed with my brothers' blood). A month-long book fair is also held on the
occasion at the premises of BANGLA ACADEMY.   

Independence Day:

The independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971 following the

crackdown by the Pakistani army on the night of 25 March 1971. Since then, the
day has been observed as the Independence Day. On the occasion the NATIONAL
FLAG is hoisted atop all public buildings, and the streets and houses are draped in
banners and festoons. In the morning, the school children take part in parade,
games and sports, and in the evening, cultural and film shows are presented and
the streets are illuminated. Special diet is served in hospitals, orphanages and
prisons.
Bijoy Dibash:
Commemorates the day in 1971 (16 December) when ninety thousand troops of
the Pakistan occupation army surrendered to the allied forces of Bangladesh and
India at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. The day is observed with due solemnity and
nationalistic fervor. The first ray of the morning is heralded with a 31 gun-salute.
In capital Dhaka, there is usually a ceremonial military parade in which all
uniformed services are represented. Hundreds of thousands of people gather at
the National Parade Square to watch this parade. Floral wreaths are laid at the
Jatiya Smriti Saudha (National Memorial Monument) at Savar near Dhaka in
memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the country.
Art Festivals

Jatiya Pitha Utsab:

Jatiya Pitha Utsab or National Cake Festival is a newly tradition started in the
capital city, Dhaka. In winter, the sweet delicious pithas or cakes are made in the
rural areas and send those to neighbors and relatives. But this culture is quite
uncommon for the people in the capital. That is why to inject the rural pitha taste
and culture in the urban area, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has come up with
this innovative idea to present those sweet cakes in front of the city people. This
academy is known for rich art and culture. People, who have an appreciation for
creativity and art, visit this Pitha Utsab and also enjoy the theater show and dance
programs.     

Joy Bangla Concert

The concert is jointly organized by Young Bangla and center for Research and
Information (CRI). This event takes place to remember the famous speech of the
Father of the Nation – Bangabandhu Sheikh Majibur Rahman. To awaken the
spirit of youth and to feel the liberation war and own country, the local bands
perform numerous patriotic songs. Interestingly, this fair has always a huge
attendance record although only youngsters tend to attend this event every year. 

National Fairs
Ekushey Boi Mela
Boi Mela or Book Fair is an annual event that takes place on the 21st February.
This fair is the reflection of the International Mother Language Day in
remembrance of the Language Martyrs who died in 1952, eventually had an
impact on the independence of the country. The fair is held at Shahbag within
Dhaka University area organized by Bangla Academy. People come in numbers in
the fair which continues for 30 days. Writers, authors, poets, professors visit the
place regularly. Fans collect their autographs; take pictures and exchange few
words between them.
Dhaka International Trade Fair
This is an annual fair which happens from the first day of New Year to the end of
the month of January. Companies from Bangladesh and also the foreign ventures
join this fair. This fair was actually introduced to make friendship with foreign
companies and to send a message that Bangladesh is always welcoming to do
business for the outsiders beyond the border. This is one of the
biggest international trade fair in Asia. No surprises that over thousands of stalls
and pavilions are installed. From food shops to clothes, to cosmetics to consumer
products to electronic devices to automobiles to utensils – everything is found in
this fair.
National Tree Fair
The initiative was taken by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. This
fair was introduced to encourage the mass people to plant trees and promote
gardening. In this hostile era of global warming, the importance of tree planting is
inevitable. This fair has a duration of 30 days and takes place at Agargaon, Dhaka
– the same place as Dhaka International Trade fair. About thousands of nursery
owners participate in this fair to sell their plants. Thankfully, the response is also
overwhelming. The busy urban people buy some time to visit the fair and
purchase mostly the rooftop plants. Even, some are also fond of interior plants to
enhance the beauty of their home.  

Hope you have enjoyed the festivals of Bangladesh. There some others national
festivals in the local areas.

Impact of Cultural Tourism

For being competent in tourism industry, it is important to make the destination

unique and distinctive. The role of international tourism in generating economic
benefits has long been recognized in many developing countries (Jenkins, 1991;
WTO, 1994). Nowadays Government also widened their focus on economic
benefits to encompass environmental and societal concerns (Erbes, 1973: p-1).

The impact of cultural tourism has twofold aspects. Firstly, it brings impacts on
the economy and secondly, on the social life of a country. In the 20th century’s
competitive global tourism market, culture and tourism were two of the major
growth industries. The recent OECD report on The Impact of Culture on Tourism
(2009) noted, cultural tourism accounted for almost 360 million international
tourism trips in 2007, or 40% of global tourism. In value terms, the contribution of
cultural tourism is even greater, since cultural tourists are estimated to spend as
much as one third more on average than other tourists (Richards 2007).

Foreign Exchange:

The overall export income generated by inbound tourism, including passenger

transport over the world exceeded US$ 1 trillion in 2010, or close to US$ 3 billion
a day. Tourism exports account for as much as 30% of the world’s exports of
commercial services and 6% of overall exports of goods and services. Different
cultural attraction can retain the visitors overnight and can accelerate the growth
of earning foreign currency. An important indicator of the role of international
tourism is its generation of foreign exchange earnings. It is also estimated that in
2010, international tourism generated US$ 919 billion (€ 693 billion) in export
earnings1

GDP:

Based on the data available, tourism’s contribution to worldwide gross domestic

product (GDP) is estimated at some 5%. For advanced, diversified economies, the
contribution of tourism to GDP ranges from approximately 2% for countries
where tourism is a comparatively small sector, to over 10% for countries where
tourism is an important pillar of the economy (WTO, 2011). In Australia cultural
tourism accounted2for $8.4 billion of total GDP in 2000/01. This represented 1.3
per cent of Australia’s total GDP and 27.7 per cent of tourism’s contribution to
GDP when averaged over the four years2. According to the World Travel and
Tourism Council, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP is expected
to be US$1,850.0 billion (2.8 percent of total GDP) in 2011. After growth of just
0.5 percent in 2010, travel and tourism economy GDP is likely to grow by 3.2
percent in 20113.
Employment:

Tourism is a labor intensive industry and this feature has the potential to create
enormous employment opportunities for the population of developing countries
(Ahmed and Josiam, 1996). It is estimated that tourism's contribution to
employment tends to be slightly higher relatively and is estimated in the order of
6-7% of the overall number of jobs worldwide (direct and indirect)
(http://unwto.org/en/content/why-tourism). In Australia about 6.0 per cent of
total persons in the economy in 2000/01 were employed in cultural tourism
sector. There were an estimated 142 200 persons in cultural tourism generated
employment in 2000/01.

Contribution to Government Revenue:

The government can receive revenues from the tourism sector in the form of
direct and indirect contribution. Direct contributions are generated by taxes on
incomes from tourism employment and tourism businesses, and by direct levies
on tourists such as departure taxes. Indirect contributions are those originated
from taxes and duties levied on goods and services supplied to tourists. The
World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that travel and tourism’s direct,
indirect, and personal tax contribution worldwide was over US$ 800 billion in
1998 - a figure it expects to double by 2010. (Source: WTTC/Michigan State
University Tax Policy Center). ATA also reports that every US$1 spent in business
travel results in US$12.50 in incremental revenue throughout the economy

Opportunities and Challenges

Globalization has already expanded the total tourism market which creates an
opportunity for Bangladesh to improve its economy through the development of
the tourism sector. Bangladesh is a tourist destination with full of natural,
cultural, religious, tribal and festival and many other resources. In different times
researchers have observed that Bangladesh has plenty of opportunity for
developing cultural tourism. It has glowing history from the ancient times till to
date which enrich the content of this culture. Tourists can observe harmony,
prevailing among the different religious people in Bangladesh including Muslim,
Hindu, Buddhist, Jains and others. Festivals of both different religion and its own
cultures make this country colorful throughout the year. The people of
Bangladesh are famous for their hospitality, cordial behavior and cooperation.
The tribal of this country grew special attention to the tourists for their unique
and distinctive way of living, customs, costumes, festivals etc.

Along with the potentials of cultural tourism, Bangladesh is also experiencing

some common challenges related to this sector. At the very outset different
studies observed that the sites which could be an attraction for the tourists are
not properly explored and managed. The country is facing poor level of
investment required to overall infrastructural development. Poor service quality
received from different government agencies, the poor transportation system
prevails throughout the country, inadequate private initiatives for undertaking
attractive tourist packages for both domestic and international tourists, political
instability, language barrier, image crisis, absence of proper tourism policy,
collision between tribal and bangalis, meager role of media in favor of cultural
tourism all hinders the sustainable development of cultural tourism in
Bangladesh.

Recommendations

In taking the above analyses and discussions into consideration, the current study
would like make some recommendations for the improvement and development
of cultural tourism sector in Bangladesh. Both the government agencies and
private initiatives are expected to explore and encourage reducing the existing
barriers. It is expected to increase the number of international airport, good
transportation system in air, rail, and road and river ways. Since Bangladesh is
facing image crisis, initiatives should be taken to create positive image of
Bangladesh. The people of Bangladesh, who are residing within the national
boundary as well as outside the border, should act as the ambassadors of this
country. Anything that create negative image like poor security system,
embarrassing legal formalities to enter this country, harassment of tourists should
be eradicated. Again anything that help foster and flourish the cultural tourism
should be appreciated and encouraged to continue which may include full-fledged
tourism training institutes to produce skilled professionals, tourism facilities and
services including accommodation, food and beverage, supermarkets should be
established and that should maintain the international standards. Tourist fair can
be arranged in an adequate number in home and abroad to attract the tourist of
both domestic and international. Government should take proper initiative to
concentrate on cultural tourism resources and formulate plan for development by
growing interest to the private initiatives.

Conclusion

In the present time tourism come into the light as a competitive and promising
sector. This sector is contributing a great deal to the economy of different
country. The concept of cultural tourism becomes popular in different countries
especially in Australia. In this sector Bangladesh is very much promising and it can
contribute to the local economy. In this service oriented industry the
concentrated and coordinated efforts from different agencies of both government
and private on the development of cultural tourism market offers, improving the
service quality of tourism related services, development of professionally skilled
human resources, create a positive brand image of the country are required. If all
these measures, marketing strategies along with policy measures are
coordinated, tourism sector in. Bangladesh would yield a positive result and
contribute in GDP along with readymade garments and others.