It’s got tigers, tea plantations and beaches — so why does Bangladesh struggle to attract tourists?

By Richard Collett, CNN

It has vast mangrove forests, hills covered in tea plantations and record-breaking beaches, but for most tourists, Bangladesh is still a blank space on the map.

The South Asia country welcomed just 650,000 international tourists in 2024, according to the Bangladesh Tourism Board — a fraction of the numbers drawn by neighboring destinations such as India and Sri Lanka.

Despite its natural treasures and the urban fascinations of a country with more than 170 million people, Bangladesh has so far struggled to emerge as a mainstream travel destination.

“I think there’s a subconscious association of the country with natural disasters,” says Jim O’Brien, director of Native Eye Travel, a tour company operating in Bangladesh since 2017. “We only ever hear about the country for the wrong reasons.”

Local tour operators say those perceptions obscure both the diversity of the country and the experiences travelers increasingly seek.

Fahad Ahmed, founder of Bengal Expedition Tours, wants visitors to explore Dhaka, where 24 million people live and work in one of the world’s most densely populated cities.

He also points to the rolling hills of Sreemangal, where tea plantations stretch north towards the Himalayas, and to Cox’s Bazar, whose 75 miles of white sand is often described as the world’s longest natural sea beach.

“Travelers want to have local experiences; they want to see real local life in Bangladesh,” Ahmed says. “Tourism here is still developing, but there’s so much potential.”

With visas-on-arrival available for most nationalities, new hotels opening in Dhaka and more international tour operators adding Bangladesh to their itineraries, Ahmed believes the country is becoming easier to visit — if not yet easier to sell.

Negative perspectives of Bangladesh

Anand Patel, a British tourist, visited Bangladesh with adventure tour company Lupine Travel in November 2025 as part of a combined trip to Bhutan. Although it had never been high on his bucket list, he jumped at the opportunity to explore a new country.

“When I told people I was going there, one person basically said: ‘Why? People leave Bangladesh to come here!” he told CNN Travel.

“Bangladesh’s reputation in the West is one of a producer nation — especially textiles — and only makes the news when there are floods or uprisings. It’s a negative perspective. As a result, the country passes under the radar as a destination.”

After arriving in Dhaka, Patel traveled south on a six-hour bus journey to Barishal, a riverside city in the Ganges River Delta.

“Unlike others I have seen, this was not a tourist spectacle but was a very authentic local market, with small boats full of fruits and crops, farmers selling their produce and hawkers selling freshly made treats,” he recalls.

“The journey there on the boats was lovely, moving through the farms and forest by river, waving to the people on the bank. A really nice day out.”

Gary Joyce, an Irish tourist who joined a Lupine tour around the same time, had long wanted to visit Bangladesh after living in neighboring India.

“We stayed in the Old City,” he says of his arrival in Dhaka.

“So we were introduced to the street chaos from the start. My first impression was of a city that never sleeps. The sights and noises attack you from every angle. A great introduction.”

Joyce traveled across the Ganges by boat to visit Dhaka’s shipbreaking and repair yards, explored the abandoned former capital of Panam, and took local ferries through the delta.

“Every aspect of the tour was a great experience,” he says. “For me, the highlights were the photographic opportunities, especially in the floating markets and Dhaka’s Old City.”

Like Patel, Joyce believes Bangladesh is widely misunderstood.

“I think Bangladesh has had some bad press in the past,” he says. “But with great food, friendly people and plenty of great places to visit, it offers a lot to travelers who don’t like to sit around on a beach.”

‘Train surfing’ and textiles markets

Dhaka-based Kawsar Ahmed Milon, who runs Dhaka Tour Guides, says the country’s image problem remains a barrier.

“People see Bangladesh as a third-world country, that it’s not an organized country and it’s not a good place to visit,” he tells CNN. “But when tourists come to Bangladesh, they have positive experiences. People are friendly and welcoming. Even if we are a poor country, we have a positive mentality.”

Bangladesh’s history has been marked by upheaval. The country emerged from the partition of India in 1947, fought for independence from Pakistan in 1971, and has endured devastating cyclones that have killed more than 700,000 people over the past 50 years. Rising sea levels, polluted waterways and poverty remain persistent challenges.

Milon says some visitors are drawn by darker depictions of the country they see online.

“There are many bloggers and YouTubers,” he says. “Trying to make money from views by publishing the negative side of Bangladesh. They want to visit ‘Garbage City’ in Dhaka or ride on the roofs of trains.”

Videos highlighting overcrowded transport systems — including illegal but widely practiced “train surfing” — are easy to find online. Milon says he encourages visitors to respect local laws and prefers to promote eco-tourism, rural homestays and nature.

However, Ahmed from Bengal Expedition Tours believes visits to non-traditional sights are essential if foreigners are to understand the country. While he does not condone riding atop trains, he includes textile markets — Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest garment exporter — and shipbuilding and breaking yards in Dhaka and Chittagong.

The US Department of Labor states that over 2.7 million Bangladeshi children aged 5-14 are engaged in underage work, often in the garment industry. Ahmed describes shipyard labor as dangerous and poorly paid and says tourism can help create alternatives.

“If tourism grows, our economy will grow,” he says. “People who don’t have jobs can work in tourism. If more people visit Bangladesh, more local people will benefit.”

Beyond Dhaka, guides encourage visitors to experience rural Bangladesh. The Sundarbans, a vast area of mangroves listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and national park, offer backwater safaris where travelers can search for the rare Bengal tiger.

Along its waterways, community-based tourism initiatives allow locals to supplement farming incomes by working as guides or in eco-resorts.

In the tea-growing region of Sreemangal in Bangladesh’s far north, community tourism projects supported by a pioneering microfinance initiative encourage locals to become homestay hosts and trekking guides.

Political and security instabilities, however, remain a concern. Dylan Harris, founder of Lupine Travel, says unrest can deter visitors.

“Every now and again, particularly around elections, there can be civil unrest,” he says.

“From our point of view, we can continue running tours during these times; the issues are often isolated and far away from anywhere on the tourist route. However, it does cause apprehension amongst some tourists, which is totally understandable.”

Harris also points to security concerns linked to the recent tribunal of former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who was accused of ordering the killing of student protestors during the 2024 revolution that led to the collapse of her government. She was sentenced to death in November 2025 after being found guilty of crimes against humanity and has lived in self-imposed exile in India since August 2024.

Concerns have also grown ahead of national elections in February, following violent protests in December.

Advisory levels for Bangladesh vary, which Harris says can make things confusing for travelers.

The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office warns against travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts near the Myanmar border, while the US Department of State ranks Bangladesh at Level 3, urging travelers to “reconsider travel due to civil unrest, crime and terrorism.”

O’Brien, from Native Eye Travel, says the warnings don’t deter his clients. They’re “very well-travelled, and a little older,” he says. They’ve already visited mainstream Asian destinations, are looking to get off the beaten track and are prepared for a simple level of tourism infrastructure.

“We hope that more people will start to discover the charms of Bangladesh, but it’s hard to see it becoming as mainstream a destination as India or Sri Lanka,” he says.

“It is becoming a little more established on the itineraries of more intrepid travelers, though, who are prepared to see through some of the negatives and accept these as part of seeing a country untainted by mass tourism.”

Ahmed agrees — and says that might not be a bad thing.

“If I give my honest opinion, we don’t want mass tourism,” he says.

“We want people who actually want to visit Bangladesh, who want to meet our people and see our countryside. If tourists arrive in the same numbers that visit Sri Lanka, then we’d lose our authenticity. The authentic Bangladesh would be gone.”

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