Abu Dhabi A logo on a tourism advertisement released by Bangladesh a few years ago reads, "Visit Bangladesh before the other tourists come". The logo was an extremely apt one, as tourists were a rarity in the small South Asian nation.

But all this is set to change with the country's Visit Bangladesh programme, which is looking to attract intrepid travellers and adventure seekers for an original tourism experience.

A five-year plan that will conclude in 2014 was implemented two years ago to develop and enrich 756 tourist spots across the country, including Cox's Bazar and archaeologically-rich sites.

This year has been named "the year of tourism", as announced by President Mohammad Zillur Rahman in the first parliamentary session of the year.

Doubling the numbers

"Measures have been taken to popularise tourism, including the establishment of a tourism cell in all districts, and a target has been set to double the number of tourists to one million by the end of this year," Rahman said in his address.

A massive campaign to designate the mangrove forests of the Sunderbans as one of the seven natural wonders of the world is also going on across the country.

While the Cricket World Cup 2011 and other government measures have done their bit towards enhancing the country's image as a tourist-friendly zone, perhaps the biggest challenge for the government will lie in providing proper transportation networks and means.

Though the capital Dhaka is rich in pre-Mughal and Mughal era architecture and archaeology, the persistent traffic congestion greatly reduces its attractiveness to visitors.

Furthermore, the Sunderbans in the Khulna district are cut off because of the lack of a proper road connection.

Getting there still takes at least seven hours, including an arduous journey on a ferry to cross the Padma river.

Nevertheless, the government is working hard to remove these barriers and is working to make tourism one of the country's prime sources of revenue. The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) is currently renovating all its buses to create an efficient public transport network in the city, and also introducing new buses that run on natural gas.

Expressway

A 26km elevated expressway in the city is also in the pipeline, and is expected to be completed by 2013.

In addition, steps are being taken to construct a number of bridges that will bypass traffic in the busy areas of Mogbazar, Mouchak, Shantinagar and Malibag.

One of the biggest projects is the construction of the Padma Bridge.