The nature of the Sundarbans, the chirping of birds, the biodiversity is a favorite of all tourists. If you have good luck, you can meet Baghmamama. After the annual examination, the teachers and senior-junior students from our school choose the Sundarbans for an educational tour. I was one of them. Under the supervision of four teachers of the department, 6 students got on the bus in the morning and reached Khulna in the evening. Later we got on the scheduled ship and packed everything like ourselves. The ship continues to the Sundarbans.
The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is located at the mouth of the river Ganges. The Sundarbans covers an area of about 1 million hectares in Bangladesh. In 1997, UNESCO declared the place a World Heritage Site. Its natural environment has always attracted nature lovers, scientists, researchers and tourists. Tourists from home and abroad visit here every year.
Geographers try to identify the relationship between man and the environment with time and space. The main purpose of our educational tour was to gain practical knowledge, collect various data and analyze and entertain.
The places in the Sundarbans that visitors usually visit are Karamjal, Hiran Point, Katka Beach, Smarankhola, Tiger Point, Dublar Char etc. We have visited different places including Karamjal, Katka, Dublar Char. While traveling in the Sundarbans, some information was found by talking to different people including local people, forest department, tourists.
Dublar Char is famous for fishing. Most of the people here are fishermen. Fishing is their main occupation. These chars are flooded during the monsoon season. The island is rich in biodiversity. Dublar Char has a reputation for dried fish. Usually it is dried in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Dhaka and other places and even exported abroad. Various fish and various species of birds including turtles and jellyfish can be seen here.
The most interesting and at the same time dangerous place in the Sundarbans is Harbaria. It is known as the home of the tiger. The Royal Bengal Tiger and a variety of animals and birds can be seen here. Match the deer view from very close. Monkeys and wild pigs are always there. Beautiful trees are one of the attractions here. The whole area is beautiful, covered with various plants including golpata. There are also blackberry and cedar trees. A long wooden path here serves to help tourists explore the deep mangrove forest.
Cuttack Beach is one of the places of interest in the Sundarbans. It is like a combination of different biodiversity surrounded by green. There is a Watch Tower to see the beauty. It is home to rare and royal wildlife. Here the sound of birds chirping in the morning and evening touches the heart. There are also deer, tigers and different types of monkeys. Here also different species of plants including Sundari, Golpata and Keora can be seen.
Karamjal is attractive to tourists for a day trip. Because Karamjal is located at the entrance of Sundarbans and closest to Mongla port. This is a wonderful place for bird lovers. The natural beauty here is breathtaking. There are different types of wildlife. Karamjal is a breeding ground for deer and crocodiles. There are also saltwater crocodiles, diving ducks, monkeys, snakes, foxes, river dolphins.
As an MSc student, we have mainly worked on the natural environment, climate and tourism industry of the Sundarbans in addition to travel. The importance of the tourism industry is immense in the economic development of the country, job creation and poverty alleviation. We think that if the right steps are taken, the Sundarbans tourism industry has a huge potential for Bangladesh. Thus, the Sundarbans is the center of interest of tourists throughout the year. This number may increase further if effective steps are taken.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the tourism sector will contribute 4.41 percent of Bangladesh's total GDP from 2025 onwards. It is possible to earn foreign exchange from these mangrove forests through proper planning.
Due to some obstacles, the Sundarbans is not able to contribute as expected to the tourism industry. Among these are lack of long term planning for development of tourism industry, underdeveloped infrastructure of tourism area, lack of awareness among local people, lack of trained and skilled manpower, lack of coordination among different departments of government, insufficient allocation in budget, lack of safety of foreign tourists.
Due to some obstacles, the Sundarbans is not able to contribute as expected to the tourism industry. Among these are lack of long term planning for development of tourism industry, underdeveloped infrastructure of tourism area, lack of awareness among local people, lack of trained and skilled manpower, lack of coordination among different departments of government, insufficient allocation in budget, lack of safety of foreign tourists.
As a result, some steps can be taken to make the Sundarbans potential in the tourism industry. Through this, Sundarbans will become important in tourism industry as well as entertainment, research and other activities. For example, a comprehensive plan needs to be formulated for the development of the tourism industry. It is necessary to make various non-governmental organizations interested in investing in the tourism sector. Different departments of the government can work together to develop tourism centers. Most of the Sundarbans is in Bangladesh, so necessary steps need to be taken to conserve these resources. It is important to develop the infrastructure according to the needs of domestic and foreign tourists.
An international campaign should be launched to encourage foreign tourists to visit the Sundarbans. Development of infrastructure and development of telephone network is needed. Tourist places need to be kept safe and clean so that they are eager to return. At the same time, airport should be established in Khulna, railway system should be expanded and developed. We want initiatives so that tourists can easily get hotel bookings, plane and train tickets through internet.
Accommodation and communication
Bhramanpipasura basically goes to the Sundarbans using three types of transport. Such as buses, trains and planes. From Dhaka, you have to get off at Jessore Airport by bus or train and go to Khulna. But most people choose the road. We also boarded a bus to travel to the Sundarbans. There are various hotels and rest houses for overnight stays in Khulna and Mongla.
