Sustainable blue tourism in Bangladesh: An analysis of the regulatory, institutional and policy frameworks

Abstract

Maritime and coastal tourism has become an important economic sector for the marine states of the world. The coasts and the Bay of Bengal are increasingly coveted spaces as strategic resources for Bangladesh. The coastal and maritime tourism are facing emerging challenges that deserve closer attention. The blue tourism depends on the beauty of the natural ecosystems, but at the same time, it contributes to its depletion and fragilization, and puts at risk its sustainability. The inter-linkage of marine tourism with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is highly essential. Governance, policy framework, institutional mechanism and legislative arrangements are considered as the cross-cutting issues for sustainable tourism. The study aims at analyzing the existing institutional, legal and policy frameworks of Bangladesh for sustainable blue tourism. Both primary and secondary data were used in this study. International regulatory frameworks and mandates were critically reviewed to analyze the national arrangements. It was found that no specific laws were enacted to cover sustainable blue tourism but few environmental laws support sustainability to some extents. Non-compliances with the existing laws, poor coordination and integration among different sectors, overlapping jurisdictions and conflict of interests are widespread. Sustainable tourism is embedded in many international frameworks which are not properly reflected in the national frameworks. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) emphasizes marine conservation and sustainable use of its resources. The national laws should be aligned to international regulatory frameworks like UNCLOS, SDGs and Paris Agreement (2017). The study recommends the integration of the legal and institutional frameworks governing the tourism, environment and biodiversity conservation.