Govt eyes foreign investment to build tourism infrastructure: State minister

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat today said the government is working to attract foreign investment to build international-standard tourism infrastructure in Bangladesh.

“We are in talks with globally renowned institutions such as Emaar Properties, which built Burj Khalifa. There are plans to involve them in developing Bangladesh’s tourism facilities through public-private partnership (PPP),” he said.

He made the remarks while addressing the "Beautiful Bangladesh Run 2026 (Season-2)" at Hatirjheel in Dhaka as the chief guest, with more than 1,000 runners participating, to promote tourism in Bangladesh domestically and internationally.

Highlighting the tourism sector's potential, he said the government wants to take it further forward.

“Currently, tourism contributes around 2 to 3 percent to our GDP. We have a target to raise it to 6 to 7 percent in future,” he said.

The junior minister distributed prizes among the winners of the marathon, organised by the Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB).

The state minister said that the initiative by ATJFB was helping raise health awareness while also making an important contribution to promoting Bangladesh’s tourism sector.

“Such an initiative is truly commendable. It has personally inspired me, and I hope it will promote the untapped potential of Bangladesh tourism,” he said

The marathon held at Police Plaza Point featured a 7.5-kilometre competitive race and a 2-kilometre fun run.

Participants from different professions, particularly from the aviation and tourism sectors, joined the event.

Rhythm Group Managing Director Sohag Hossain, Abhir Hossain, deputy managing director; ATJFB President Tanzim Anwar; General Secretary Baten Biplob; and race director Safiullah Sumon, among others, addressed the event.