SESRIC conducted a one-day commemoration programme for Dhaka, the OIC City of Tourism 2019, on 15 October 2019 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The programme consisted of two parts. The first part was an international seminar on “Development of Muslim Friendly Tourism in the Dhaka City” and the second part was an “Award Ceremony for the best Tour Operators in Dhaka” where three best tour operates in the city of Dhaka have been awarded for their remarkable contribution to the development of tourism in the city.

The event started with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, which was followed by the welcoming remarks of H.E. Dr. Bhubon Chandra Biswas, Chief Executive Officer, Bangladesh Tourism Board. During the opening session of the commemoration programme, H.E. Mr. Nebil Dabur, Director General of SESRIC, H.E. Md. Mohibul Haque, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh, and H.E. Md. Mahbub Ali, State Minister, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh delivered opening remarks. During the opening session, H.E. Mr. Nebil Dabur, Director General of SESRIC, read out the Message of H.E. Dr. Yousef A. Othaimeen, Secretary General, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

After the opening session, the international seminar on “Development of Muslim Friendly Tourism in the Dhaka City” started with a keynote presentation of Dr. Cem Tintin, Senior Researcher at SESRIC, on the “Importance and State of Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT) in OIC Member Countries”. In the panel discussion, distinguished panellists shared their experiences and knowledge about the importance of MFT (the experiences of Malays and Uzbekistan). They deliberated on the prospects for the development of MFT in OIC Member Countries and the key challenges faced by them in this high potential niche in the tourism sector, particularly in Bangladesh. The distinguished panellists included H.E. Md. Mahbub Ali, State Minister, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh, H.E. Dato’ Sri Abdul Khani Daud, Director General, Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), Putrajaya, Malaysia, Mr. Mirtolib M. Mirzakhidov, Director of the UNWTO Office Tourism on the Silk Road in Uzbekistan, and Dr. Md. Anowar Hossain Bhuiyan, Assistant Professor, National University, Gazipur, Bangladesh. The Seminar concluded with a Questions and Answers session where the participants had a chance to ask questions to the distinguished panellists.

In the afternoon session, the Award Ceremony of SESRIC started with the opening remarks of H.E. Mr. Nebil Dabur, Director General of SESRIC. The opening remarks was followed by a presentation made by Dr. Cem Tintin, Senior Researcher at SESRIC, on the “Background of the Award and Selection Process”. The Award Ceremony went on by the presentation of the SESRIC Awards to the following three tour operators, who have been selected for the “OIC City of Tourism Award 2019 for Dhaka”:

• 1^st Place: Tourism Window;
• 2^nd Place: ANNEX Travel & Consulting Group; and
• 3^rd Place: Journey Plus.

The Awards were presented to the tour operators by H.E. Mr. Nebil Dabur, Director General of SESRIC and H.E. Md. Mahbub Ali, State Minister, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh. The Award Ceremony ended with a family photo session and exchange of plaques.

• Message of H.E. Dr. Yousef A. Othaimeen, Secretary General, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (English)
• Address by the Director General of SESRIC (English)
• Keynote Presentation of Dr. Cem Tintin, Senior Researcher, SESRIC (English)
• Presentation of H.E. Dato’ Sri Abdul Khani Daud, Director General, Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), Putrajaya, Malaysia (English)
• Presentation of Mr. Mirtolib M. Mirzakhidov, Director of the UNWTO Office Tourism on the Silk Road in Uzbekistan (English)
• Presentation of Dr. Md. Anowar Hossain Bhuiyan, Assistant Professor, National University, Gazipur, Bangladesh (English)
• Presentation of Dr. Cem Tintin, Senior Researcher, SESRIC on the “Background of the Award and Selection Process” (English)
• Programme (English)

Photos