Reza Mahmud :
More people are now shopping abroad spending huge foreign currency and causing massive capital flight out of the country, experts say.
“If you go to neighboring India any time you will find lot of Bangladeshi nationals visiting big cities for treatment and business purposes. As per some estimates around 1,50,000 Bangladeshi nationals take treatment and such other medical services in India every year,” said Columnist Rezanur Rahman.
Around 12,00,000 Bangladeshi nationals travel to India every year. However the total numbers of Bangladeshi tourists to India was the highest at 13.70 lakhs in 2016 — by far the largest and the figure even outnumber US visitors to India on that year.
They spend huge foreign currency for shopping although the same products are available in Dhaka at lower price.Traders take them through informal channels although these are available in abundant quantity in Dhaka and some other major cities.
The single most reason for visit is however medical treatment. According to Indian Directorate
General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) 1,65,000 Bangladeshi have taken medical services in India in 2015-16 fiscal year.
The data shows that India earned over US$ 350 million from Bangladeshi people for medical tourism. Indian official data also shows that Bangladeshi tourists are now highest in India as foreign tourists.
Many also visit USA, UK, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Middle East for different purposes but India alone is the single largest destination of people from Bangladesh. They also make shopping in other countries which are mainly luxurious products and cost too much in Bangladesh.
Sources said, most people carry excess foreign currency without disclosure or get from third sources while visiting India and other countries and it partly explains why so much capital flight is taking from the country depriving Bangladesh economy and the higher potentials of its growth.
Experts said the Bangladeshi travelers usually buy clothing, cosmetics and ornaments and lot more.
“Almost all of those items of equivalent quality and standard are now also available in Bangladesh. But people are buying at several times higher prices from India. Even the quality of medical treatment in Bangladesh is not less now but there is a kind of physiological impulsion that force many to go to India for treatment,” Rezanur Rahman said.
He said our health services should be more impressive and behaviour of physicians needs to be more amicable to stop our patients to go to India and seek treatment here.
He also stressed the need to creating the mindset to buy more home made products instead of foreign items. Billal Hossain, a businessman at Gazi Bhaban shopping plaza in the city also made similar remarks on the issue.
As an example, he said, “Any one can buy a toilet soap of certain company at Tk 100 in Dhaka but the same product costs over Tk 200 in India. But Bangladeshi travelers are needlessly buying those products at the cost of national interests.”
Shafiul Islam (Mahiuddin) President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) told The New Nation, “There is no statistics how many people are visiting abroad annually and how much foreign currency they are spending in shopping in countries like India.
We can say many people are going to India and other countries for different purposes every day. They are regularly buying products and services. We are living in an open market economy and it is not possible to control such travel and spending.”
He also said, “Some Bangladesh made products are also sweeping Indian markets. Many Bangladeshi brands are also popular in many places in India, he said laying emphasis on producing quality products and services to make greater access to Indian market and at other places all over the world.”
More people are now shopping abroad spending huge foreign currency and causing massive capital flight out of the country, experts say.
“If you go to neighboring India any time you will find lot of Bangladeshi nationals visiting big cities for treatment and business purposes. As per some estimates around 1,50,000 Bangladeshi nationals take treatment and such other medical services in India every year,” said Columnist Rezanur Rahman.
Around 12,00,000 Bangladeshi nationals travel to India every year. However the total numbers of Bangladeshi tourists to India was the highest at 13.70 lakhs in 2016 — by far the largest and the figure even outnumber US visitors to India on that year.
They spend huge foreign currency for shopping although the same products are available in Dhaka at lower price.Traders take them through informal channels although these are available in abundant quantity in Dhaka and some other major cities.
The single most reason for visit is however medical treatment. According to Indian Directorate
General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) 1,65,000 Bangladeshi have taken medical services in India in 2015-16 fiscal year.
The data shows that India earned over US$ 350 million from Bangladeshi people for medical tourism. Indian official data also shows that Bangladeshi tourists are now highest in India as foreign tourists.
Many also visit USA, UK, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Middle East for different purposes but India alone is the single largest destination of people from Bangladesh. They also make shopping in other countries which are mainly luxurious products and cost too much in Bangladesh.
Sources said, most people carry excess foreign currency without disclosure or get from third sources while visiting India and other countries and it partly explains why so much capital flight is taking from the country depriving Bangladesh economy and the higher potentials of its growth.
Experts said the Bangladeshi travelers usually buy clothing, cosmetics and ornaments and lot more.
“Almost all of those items of equivalent quality and standard are now also available in Bangladesh. But people are buying at several times higher prices from India. Even the quality of medical treatment in Bangladesh is not less now but there is a kind of physiological impulsion that force many to go to India for treatment,” Rezanur Rahman said.
He said our health services should be more impressive and behaviour of physicians needs to be more amicable to stop our patients to go to India and seek treatment here.
He also stressed the need to creating the mindset to buy more home made products instead of foreign items. Billal Hossain, a businessman at Gazi Bhaban shopping plaza in the city also made similar remarks on the issue.
As an example, he said, “Any one can buy a toilet soap of certain company at Tk 100 in Dhaka but the same product costs over Tk 200 in India. But Bangladeshi travelers are needlessly buying those products at the cost of national interests.”
Shafiul Islam (Mahiuddin) President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) told The New Nation, “There is no statistics how many people are visiting abroad annually and how much foreign currency they are spending in shopping in countries like India.
We can say many people are going to India and other countries for different purposes every day. They are regularly buying products and services. We are living in an open market economy and it is not possible to control such travel and spending.”
He also said, “Some Bangladesh made products are also sweeping Indian markets. Many Bangladeshi brands are also popular in many places in India, he said laying emphasis on producing quality products and services to make greater access to Indian market and at other places all over the world.”
