Global Journal of Management and Business Research, F: Real Estate, Event and Tourism Management, Volume 22 Issue 3

54 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXII Issue III Version I Year 2022 ( ) F © 2022 Global Journals River Tourism in Bangladesh: Present Status and Future Prospects The great river Amazon was first traveled by European travelers. They followed Amazon from the Andes between 1541 and 1542 and showed interest in other travel and discovers more from Amazon. River tourism is also highlighted in the writing of Travel Guide of the River from Chongqing to Wuhan by Shaw (2007). In 2000 a study of tourism was done in the Yunnan Great Rivers, National Park in China. The Salween, Mekong, and Yangtze Rivers have a variety of tourism activities like logging, fish hunting, water-based agriculture, etc. that attract tourists from all over the world, as observed by Cater (2000) A river constitutes a major tourism resource, providing spectacular settings, recreation facilities, means of transport, a sense of heritage and adventure, and links with the environment and the natural world. Tourists, researchers, and investors are mostly interested in ocean cruising (Dowling, 2006) although some scholars are shown interest in the study of river tourism, and have demonstrated that river tourism can be a good source of outdoor recreation as well as it will attract eco-tourists (McKean et al., 2005) People are very much fond of river cruising for enjoying colorful natural beauties and different ways of living on the bank of the river. Moreover, it offers a more relaxing and slower travel experience than other forms of tourism. River tourism allows travelers for creating a personal adventure. River tourism has become a major tourist attraction, giving a boost to the tourism industry. River ship provides a traveler with an intimate atmosphere with close interaction with our culture as the river was the sole means of transport in the past. III. M ethodology of the S tudy This research is carried out by using the qualitative research approach. Qualitative methods have become increasingly appropriate to researchers of tourism as they being to explore personal feelings, perceptions, and attitudes, particularly of host communities, and the impact of tourism on them (Walle, 1997:534). This study was based on the synthesis of primary data and secondary data. Primary data had been collected from the interviews of different stakeholders, field observation, and questionnaire analysis. Secondary data had been collected from published research articles, journal articles, conference papers, seminar proceedings, dissertations, books, reports, newspaper, articles, magazines, brochures, government websites, and open-access materials. As the data on river tourism is inadequate, so to collect more data an intensive literature review related to river tourism and resources, their management issues, and constraints in the Bangladesh context was conducted through an online search. IV. O bjective of the S tudy a) Primary objectives The primary objective of this study is to identify the potentiality of river tourism in Bangladesh. b) Secondary objectives • To identify the scope of river tourism in Bangladesh. • To identify the benefits and economic contribution of river tourism in Bangladesh. • To identify the barrier and challenges in the development of river tourism in Bangladesh. • To find out some recommendations that will help the growth of river tourism in Bangladesh. V. P rospects of R iver T ourism in B angladesh Generally, the use of the river for travel and recreational activities is known as river tourism. River tourism is an alternative type of tourism that includes trips to natural areas and walks on the bank of the river and muddy roads, swimming, and sports activities, for example, fishing, rafting, canoeing, river kayaking, etc. Rivers are very important for the economy of Bangladesh historically. Once upon a time, people depend on the river for their livelihood. People are used to fishing, boating, and many more as a means of income source. Our agricultural sector depends on the mercy of river water for irrigation. The Water Development Board, Bangladesh (WDB, 2019) has published documents with the names of 406 rivers. This number varies from source to source as some rivers have already vanished with time and some have taken different names at different places. There are 57 international rivers in Bangladesh of which 53 flow from India and 3 from Myanmar. Bangladesh has predominantly four major river systems (1) the Brahmaputra- Jamuna, (2) the Ganges-Padma, (3) the Surma-Meghna, and (4) the Chittagong Region river system. However, the Brahmaputra is the 22nd longest (2,850 km) and the Ganges is the 30th longest (2,510 km) river in the world (Banglapedia 2004). River tourism may become one of the main unique selling points in the tourism industry of Bangladesh. The volume of river tourism in Bangladesh is at its initial state compared with the vastness of the river networks. Nowadays, many private companies are mainly engaged in river tourism which facilitates organized various river cruising packages. Though Bangladesh has numerous rivers but all the rivers are not suitable for river tourism because of not having a proper depth from the surface, heavy river wave, muddy canals, improper infrastructure, and so on. Bangladesh has a huge tourist market segment for river tourism. Shown below-