Bangladesh
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Report by the WTO Secretariat
The Bangladesh economy emerged relatively unscathed from the global economic crisis though the country remains vulnerable because its exports are not diversified and it depends heavily on migrant workers’ remittances. Although the economy has become increasingly open in recent years total merchandise exports have remained limited averaging 18% of GDP since 2006. Exports remain highly concentrated both in terms of products and destinations which carries some risk with readymade-garment (RMG) exports to the EU and the U.S. the current mainstay. However as a reputable low-cost producer of garments Bangladesh has gained global market share in recent years. This trend is expected to continue over the medium term which could partially mitigate the impact of slow growth in advanced economies.
Concluding Remarks by the Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body, H.E. Mr. Eduardo Muñoz Gómez at the Trade Policy Review of Bangladesh 15 & 17 October 2012
The fourth Trade Policy Review of Bangladesh has considerably improved our understanding of Bangladesh’s trade and trade-related policies and practices and how they have evolved since 2006. We are grateful for the active participation of the Bangladesh delegation headed by H.E. Mr Md. Ghulam Hussain and the discussant Ambassador Faizel Ismail for his insightful remarks. I would also like to thank Members of the TPRB for contributing to the meeting’s useful exchange of views. Bangladesh’s response to the large number of questions is also much appreciated.
Introduction
The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) was first established on a trial basis by the GATT contracting parties in April 1989. The Mechanism became a permanent feature of the World Trade Organization under the Marrakesh Agreement which established the WTO in January 1995.
Achieving Bangladesh’s Tourism Potential
Bangladesh's international image is not as a popular tourism destination and many people might be surprised to learn it has three World Heritage sites including the Sundarbans tiger reserves. Moreover it is part of important travel circuits for cultural and religious tourism and has demonstrated potential for sports tourism. The objective of this working paper is to critically test the assertion that pro-poor "green" tourism is one of the best development options for the majority of least developed countries (LDCs) -- a challenging task in Bangladesh in the face of the country's success as an exporter of readymade garments -- by comparing tourism to the available alternatives with regard to the crucial government priorities of export diversification employment generation and the "green economy". It is well-known that Bangladesh is under strong pressure to diversify its exports to generate new employment (especially in rural areas) and to respond to critical environmental issues. The government has identified over 30 "thrust sectors" (including tourism) to help address these challenges but otherwise tourism is rarely mentioned as a major trade and development option for Bangladesh. Within the limitations of data availability this working paper reaches the conclusion that greater efforts to develop "green" tourism would be highly beneficial for facilitating rural development environmental and cultural protection gender equality and export diversification in services. The most obvious current impediments are inadequate infrastructure lack of investment and (typically election year) political conflict but behind these factors appear to be a serious lack of stakeholder coordination insufficient regulatory and administrative transparency and coherence as well as some government reluctance to relinquish greater commercial autonomy in tourism to the private sector. This paper offers extensive analysis and some suggestions to help address the impediments including the recommendation to create a Bangladesh Tourism Stakeholders Forum.