Beautiful Bangladesh

[Banglar Bir]

WTO meeting in Chittagong to promote tourism
Tourism Correspondent

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon said the government has embarked upon a mega tourism development project centering the picturesque Patenga sea beach in Chittagong and the beach town of Cox’s Bazar.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has a dream to create jobs for everyone and this dream can be materialized largely through the tourism sector”, he told a press conference jointly with Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu.

The press conference was called at Chittagong Circuit House on Monday afternoon on the eve of the launching of a three-day United Nation’s World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) meeting in the port city.
The tourism minister said Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) has taken initiative to build a five star hotel at Parky Beach of Anowara upazila in the district.
“Besides 14 five star hotels in Bangladesh and many international chain hotels are being registered to extend their service and business to promote tourism in Bangladesh”, he said adding that a tourism village would be set up in Cox’s Bazar for the foreign tourists.
Menon said considering the importance of tourism sector, Bangladesh Bank has included tourism in its CSR Policy.

Terming tourism as a major wheel-power of any country’s economy, the minister said the tourism industry directly influences 109 industries. Citing an international report he said a total of 11 lakh 38 thousand 500 direct and 23 lakh 46 thousand indirect job opportunities were created in Bangladesh in 2015, which is 4.1 per cent of the total employment.
Speaking at the press conference Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said militancy and terrorism are the greatest enemies of tourism sector.
“In spite of those two hurdles, Bangladesh has progressed a lot in tourism sector as the government is determined to build up Bangladesh as a tourism friendly country”, he said.
The ministers later unveiled the cover of a book on the tourism in Chittagong division jointly published by BPC and Department of Films and Publications (DFP). Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary SM Golam Faruk, Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh Tourism Board Nasir Uddin, BPC Chairman Akhtaruzzaman Khan Kabir, Additional Secretary of Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry Mohammad Imran, among others, were present at the press meet.

The World Tourism Organization or UNWTO’s commissions for East Asia and the Pacific (CAP) and South Asia (CSA) held a three-day joint meeting in Chittagong beginning from Monday.
Th three-day conference was aimed at Brightening Bangladesh’s image in the international arena and attract more tourists.

As many as 300 ministers, secretaries, top government officials, observers and other stakeholders of the tourism sector from 21 CAP and nine CSA countries are attending the meeting.
In 2014, a total of 9 million tourists travelled in Bangladesh using civil aviation and the number is expected to rise to 21 million in 2035, according to Civil Aviation minister.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary SM Ghulam Farooque and Bangladesh Tourism Board CEO Nasir Uddin were also present at the press conference

http://www.weeklyholiday.net/Homepage/Pages/UserHome.aspx?ID=11&date=0#Tid=14068

 

[Banglar Bir]

2:00 AM, May 19, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 06:12 AM, May 19, 2017
NATURE QUEST
Swatch of No-ground: A treasure trove of marine lives

A group of Dolphin at the Swatch of No-Ground in March. Photo: Isabela Foundation
Anisuzzaman Khan
Isabela Foundation, a philanthropic organisation working for nature conservation, in collaboration with Bangladesh Navy went on an expedition to Swatch of No-Ground in the Bay of Bengal in March to learn about the marine biota.

Swatch of No-Ground has a comparatively flat floor five to seven kilometres wide. At the edge of the shelf, depths in the trough are about 1,200 metres. It is globally famous for its cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) population.

An Isabela exploration team discovered three rare species of marine wildlife -- Minke whale, a mammal, masked booby, a seabird, and gastropod, a marine mollusc.
Based on secondary information gathered from literature review, an orientation was conducted to sensitise the 13-member Isabela team “Quest for Sea and Life” in the capital prior to the voyage. Team leader Kabir Bin Anwar, director general at the Prime Minister's Office, and this author informed the team about the mission.

The team started the journey from Dhaka in the evening of March 22. The next morning it was welcomed by a school of Ganges River Dolphin breaching estuarine waters in Dhaingmari dolphin sanctuary at the Passur river.
Karotoa, a Bangladesh Navy ship that carried the team, left Mongla naval base later that morning and cruised through the Sundarbans to the destination. An introductory session about the mission, cruise route, methodology and safety aspects were conducted onboard by Kabir Bin Anwar, Sabbir, commander of Navy, and Shams, the captain of the ship.

The team was well equipped with necessary marine research gears and its members were from marine ecology, under water exploration, hydrology, ornithology, fisheries, blue economy and marine navigations. It was supported by a naval contingent of 80 members onboard.
The team members started taking notes of the field observation while cruising through the Sundarbans en route to Akram Point down to Hiron Point. It was very exciting to watch nature from the ship and the team stumbled upon different species of wild flora and fauna.

The bank of the river was full of diversity in floral composition which usually looks clustered of a specific plant community in each section, like Keya (pandanus) and Tiger fern; Golpata (Nipa palm); Sundari (Hereteria), Baen (Avicennia) groves; Keora (sonneratia); Geoa and Goaran community and so on.
Spotted deer were seen browsing at the open floor of Keora forest; monkeys on the fruiting trees like Baen and Choil; White-bellied Sea Eagle perching on the top of a tall Keora tree; Lesser Adjutant stork and Osprey together with other shorebirds wading at the open mudflats and sand dunes; Crested Serpent Eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle and Kestrel soaring up high; Ringed lizard on the crevices and tree holes along the bank of canals and rivers. Groups of Irrawaddy dolphins and Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins were also seen leaping in the channel between Hiron Point and Akram Point.

It was the early morning of March 24 when the team found a pair of Bryde's whale splashing water fountain through their blow-hole. The sky was clear, the wind and the waves were modest and the water was blue at that time.
Everyone was exhilarated and feeling lucky to see the giant whale. The watchers on board were busy taking photos. The ship reduced its speed to avoid collision and maintained a safe distance so that the whales would not get annoyed.

We used binoculars and telescopes to track down marine lives. Crews of two TV channels also recorded videos. Our team members were given specific spots at the ship and asked to watch wildlife and keep records. The team took more than 2,000 images of Swatch of No-Ground. Later, all photographs were thoroughly checked and the images of species were identified. One such rare identification was Minke whale.
The common Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is the smallest baleen whale in the North Pacific. It is 7.5 metres in length when it is fully grown. It is known to feed on small schooling fish and invertebrates. It has 50 to 70 throat grooves on the underside of its body which can extend considerably when engulfing prey. Minke whales are most often solitary.

The masked booby (Sula dactylatra) is a large seabird of the booby family “Sulidae”. This species breeds on islands in tropical oceans, except in the eastern Atlantic. It is also called the masked gannet or the blue-faced booby. The team first spotted and photographed the bird flying over Swatch of No-Ground on March 24.
Cruising around 200km of marine water there, the Isabela team came across two species of whales, six species of dolphins, 10 species of seabirds, one species of sea turtle, 30 species fish, five species of shellfish and two species of seagrass. Striking among them are Minke Whale, Bryde's whale, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, Irrawaddy dolphin, Indo-Pacific Bottle-nose dolphin, Spinner dolphin, Masked booby, Great Black-headed gull, Crested Tern, Hawksbill turtle, Hammer-headed Shark, Tuna, Grouper and swimming crab.
A pair of live conch univalve mollusc got entangled in the fishing net. They were collected for identification and reference. The Isabela taxonomic group studied the specimen and identified them as Mirabilistrombus listeri (Gray, 1852), a group of conchs that are sometimes referred to as “true conchs”.

Swatch of No-Ground is a mysterious submarine canyon in the Bay of Bengal which is geologically, hydrologically and ecologically unexplored marine ecosystem on earth. A part of it was announced as the country's first Marine Protected Area (MPA) by the Ministry of Environment and Forest.
It spans approximately 672 square miles (1,738 square kilometres) and is more than 900 metres in depth in some locations. The area is a key breeding and spawning ground for dolphins, whales, sharks and turtles. The marine protected area was declared for the long-term protection of cetaceans that inhabit the waters offshore of Bangladesh.

Anisuzzaman Khan is the chief adviser Isabela Foundation.

 

[Place Of Space]

Kuakata

Oh, I can't believe it is real. The glorious sights make me drunk.

 

[EastBengalPro]

River Meghna

[/IMG]

CHT Hill Tracts

Dhaka Night

 

[Banglar Bir]

Beauty of Komoldaha waterfall
Minhaj Uddin

Less popular than Khoiyachora and Napityachora waterfalls, the charming Komoldaha waterfall in Chittagong district, that overflows with water during the monsoon, has now started attracting tourists.

Every day, at least a hundred adventurers make their way to the waterfall.

In order to reach the falls one needs to go to Boro Daroga Hat on Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Mirsharai upazila of the district. It takes a half hour walk through deep forested hills to reach the waterfalls.

The location is easy and does not need require any guides.
However, local youths work as guides there, if needed.

Watch the video for a virtual guide to Komoldoho waterfalls

 

[ashok321]

Watch Mama (Bengal) tiger playing with cubs

 

[Bilal9]

Sairu Resort Bandarban

 

[Homo Sapiens]

Sairu Resort Bandarban

This sticky thread need to be back in Bangladesh defence section.

 

[Bilal9]

This sticky thread need to be back in Bangladesh defence section.

Maybe @waz and/or @WAJsal bhais can kindly do us this favor.

Thanks in advance to the mods.

 

[Bilal9]

Images Copyright Pias Rahman
Chandpur Bangladesh

Kewkradong, Bandarban, Bangladesh

Dhanmandi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Image Copyright MH Onik
Birishiri Eco Resort, Birishiri, Netrokona, Mymensing, Bangladesh

Dream Square Resort, Mauna, Gazipur, Bangladesh

Nokkhotrobari Resort, Gazipur, Bangladesh

 

[Bilal9]

Dusai Resort, Niteshwar, Giasnagar Sadar, Moulvi Bazaar, Sylhet, Bangladesh
My favorite resort in Bangladesh, a world class resort that competes at par with anything globally amenities-wise....
Vitti Sthapati Brindo, the local architect/developer, recently won the American AAP architectural award for the design of the property.

 

[Bilal9]

Bichanakandi, Sylhet

Ratargul, Sylhet

 

[ashok321]

Just as I thought its Vietnam, it turned out to be Bangladesh

 

[Bilal9]

Kuakata Beach, Patuakhali, Mid-coast Bangladesh

Hakaluki Haor (lake), Sylhet, Northern Bangladesh

Teknaf Upazila, southernmost point in mainland Bangladesh

Monsoon rain-clouds stacked high over Bangladesh

Tanguar Haor (lake), Sunamganj, Northern Bangladesh (trees in the last image are called 'hijal' trees which serve as nesting habitat for white egrets)

Hakaluki Haor (lake), Sylhet, Northern Bangladesh

Dusk in Sandwip, Southern Bangladesh

 

[Bilal9]

Dhanmondi Residential Area, Dhaka

Manik Mia Avenue, Guinness World Record holder in street art

The land of festivals and memorials (21st February, Int'l mother language day)

Now some aerial images from Shameem Sharif (Shushom)(শামীম শরীফ সুষম), he's a licensed pilot and award winning photographer,