Bangladesh Tourism: The recent political turmoil in Bangladesh has resulted in a decline in the number of foreign tourists. Tourists from India have also seen a significant decline of 73 percent.
Bangladesh Tourism: There are speculations that relations with India will improve after BNP leader Tarique Rahman became the new Prime Minister. Relations between the two countries have been strained for some time. Bangladesh has been experiencing political turmoil since August 2024.
Tourists are keeping a distance from Bangladesh.
First, the student movement, then the demand for Sheikh Hasina's resignation, then the protests against her, the interim government's rise to power, and the continued violent attacks on minorities—a series of events have been constantly making headlines. The result of all this has been a decline in the number of foreign tourists to Bangladesh.
Last year, in 2025, the number of foreign tourists dropped by more than 9 percent. In particular, the number of tourists from India declined by a staggering 73 percent. In light of the instability in Bangladesh, the Indian government has imposed visa restrictions, which have impacted tourism.
Bangladesh ranks 109th out of 119 countries in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index, the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region. This figure is significant for Bangladesh because tourism contributes approximately 3.02 percent to Bangladesh's GDP.
Losses despite government efforts
In Bangladesh, the government has divided tourism into 12 sub-sectors to strengthen tourism and increase employment. This means that tourism isn't just limited to hotels, but also encompasses various sectors like cafes, resorts, cruise ships, airlines, travel agencies, museums, and handicrafts, providing employment to everyone from drivers to cooks and artisans.
Bangladesh's foreign exchange earnings have also declined significantly following the loss of tourism in 2024. Bangladesh lost $13 million, or over ₹1 billion (approximately ₹1 billion) in foreign exchange earnings in 2024.
Which countries did Indian tourists visit?
Meanwhile, the number of Indians traveling abroad is projected to increase by 6.6 percent to a record 33 million in 2025. However, the number of Indians traveling to Saudi Arabia and the United States has declined. Last year, the number of Indians traveling to Canada also declined by nearly 16 percent to 0.8 million.
According to the report, a travel agent said, "Due to the high cost of hotels despite reasonable domestic airfares during the non-peak season, the Indian middle class is now finding it cheaper to travel to places like the UAE, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia instead of Goa or Kerala."
