Md Mizanur Rahman Himadri –
Tourism is one of the rising sectors in Bangladesh due to the presence of great natural beauty, historical monuments, and the heroic background of the country. It is considered one of the fundamental pillars of the country’s economic development with a 4.4 percent contribution to the GDP in 2019. Though Bangladesh has all the potential to flourish, tourism has been growing at a very slow pace with a high crime rate as one of the major contributing factors.
Tourism leads to a temporarily increased number of people in a relatively small area and contributes to the introduction of ‘strangers’ to local communities which can lead to problems such as crime. On the other hand, a higher risk of being a victim may lead to the reduced attractiveness of a given destination. Numerous research findings have established that tourist areas usually suffer from higher-than-average crime rates. Tourists are less likely to pay attention to security issues while on vacation, and more willing to take risks, or visit unfamiliar environments. This increases their vulnerability and exposure to criminal activities.
There are two categories of crime that directly affect travelers, namely: 1) Planned crimes (for example, terrorism); 2) Opportunistic crimes, with or without violence, against an unknown victim and from which the perpetrator has some form of gratification, be it economic, psychological or sexual.
Tourism provides more opportunity for crime due to six major factors: (1) Tourists are the preferred target because, in general, they carry large amounts of money or other valuables and often carry them visibly, in public, and in a relaxed way; (2) Tourists are more vulnerable in a physical and social space that is not their own, and they often give out obvious signs that they are tourists (e.g. having a rental car, constantly using the camera, consulting maps, etc.); (3) The probability of a tourist reporting a crime to the local police is lower compared to a local resident; (4) Tourists, in general, ignore many ‘normal’ security precautions; (5) Tourists have difficulty identifying assailants or aggressors; (6) Tourists rarely return to testify in the case of criminal.
Tourist police provide the tourists and the local people with the security and protection required in tourist sites. The Miami Metro-Dade Police Department first came up with the concept that specially trained and skilled police officers can help prevent or immensely reduce the tourism problems related to crime, the fear of crime, and the decay of the neighborhoods that tourists frequently travel to. Inspired by that, Bangladesh Police introduced a specialized police force named ‘Tourist Police’ on 6th November 2013 with an eye to ensuring the safety of tourists and the development of the tourism industry. Additional IGP Habibur Rahman acts as the present chief of the Tourist Police.
The government is going to introduce its first-ever Tourism Master Plan by the end of this year to build a sustainable tourism industry attracting more inbound and domestic tourists. It has set a target of increasing the sector’s contribution to the GDP to 10 percent by attracting 10 million tourists and a revenue of 8 billion US dollars within 2041. According to the UK based-World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Bangladesh will be among the top 15-20 countries in the world in the tourism sector.
To take the tourism industry forward, the importance of ensuring the safety and security of tourists is way beyond description. As per the US Travel Association, 9/11 caused a loss of 606 billion US Dollars to the US economy. Our tourism sector also faced a massive blow after the Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1, 2016.
The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report (2013) considers safety and security a pillar of tourism competitiveness, with the reliability of police services as a central anchor. At present, Bangladesh Tourist Police operates in 11 regions named Dhaka, Sylhet, Mymensingh, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Bandarban, Khulna, Barishal, Rangpur, and Rajshahi. Mentioning the commitment to achieve the Master Plan goal, the Head of Tourist Police, Additional IGP Habibur Rahman said, “Tourist Police is committed to providing world-class service, safety, and security to the tourists. Safe tourism is our only goal.”
