REFINING TOURISTS’ PLACE EXPERIENCE THROUGH PLACEMAKING: A CASE STUDY OF DHAKA

by

Sharmin Afroz Shumi

MASTER OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING

Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Dhaka

February 2011

REFINING TOURISTS’ PLACE EXPERIENCE THROUGH PLACEMAKING: A CASE STUDY OF DHAKA

Submitted by

SHARMIN AFROZ SHUMI

Roll 040515048, Session April 2005

A thesis submitted to the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Urban and Regional Planning

by course and thesis.

DEPARTMENT OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING

BANGLADESH UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

DHAKA, BANGLADESH

February 2011

Dedicated to

My loving husband

Sirajul Amin

&

My son Ruslan Riasatal Amin

My daughter Ludmila Arishah Amin

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful. My deepest gratitude is to Almighty Allah for granting me the opportunity to complete the thesis. Alhamdulillah. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to a number of people for their contribution in assisting and guiding me to complete this thesis. In particular, to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Roxana Hafiz, Professor, Department of urban and Regional Planning, Dean, Faculty of Architecture & Urban and Regional Planning, BUET for her guidance, encouragement and motivation. Without her support it would have been difficult for me to come to this stage. I would like to show my gratitude to Dr. Sarwar Jahan, Professor and Head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, BUET, for cooperation and support during the research. Heartfelt thanks to Dr. Ishrat Jahan, Associate Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, BUET, for her valuable recommendation about the thesis. I am also very appreciative to all the teachers of the department for their guidance and advices during the course of my study. Thanks to my external examiner Dr. Abu Syeed M. Ahmed, Department of Architecture, University of Asia Pacific. I am also thankful for the cooperation and assistance on different stages of academic procedure extended by the staffs of the Department of URP and DAERS, BUET. Thanks to all government and non-government agencies specially RAJUK, Dhaka City Corporation, Immigration Department, Special Branch of Police, tour operators and professionals for their co-operation in data collection and questionnaire survey. I am also grateful to Ria, Tonu, Tazwar, Jashim, Marzina and a number of people for their constant co-operation in the successful completion of this research. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Afrin, for her cordial assistance throughout the Thesis. I am grateful to my parents whose prayers are always with me and who made me to come this long with their unconditional support and inspiration. Finally, this research would not have been possible without co-operation of my husband Sirajul Amin. My deepest gratitude goes to him for his concern about my study, encouragement, love and never-ending support from near and far.

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ABSTRACT

Tourist Experience is one of the important aspects in tourism. It is comprised of

place experiences, services, travel motivations, interactions among other tourists and

locals, cultural back grounds, and many more. The experience created usually

determines whether a visit is successful or not. By recognizing and managing

positive and negative attributes in physical environments, designers can continually

update their understanding of tourists’ expectation, and seek new ways of shaping

places for visitors that maximize positive experience. Tourist-satisfaction has much

to do with how well a place meets visitor expectations and then exceeds them,

approaching an ideal state.

This research is embarked to form early ground works towards refining tourists’

place experience in Dhaka by enhancing place character through place making. This

study is necessary to assist urban designers and tourism planners in determining the

most appropriate refinement strategies for tourist attraction spots of the city. It also

can influence the policy makers to take initiative to create an enjoyable city of Dhaka

both for tourists and its Residents.

In this study, evaluation of place experience is conducted on tourists that visit Dhaka.

Place characters that have significant roles in creating a quality experience are also

identified. Model of Attitude Measurement (MAM) is used to assess the differences

and gaps between expectations with actual experience, in relation to the place

characters evaluated. The study also analyses tourist segments and typologies as well

as tourist routes in Dhaka.

Results of this study reveal that Dhaka possesses all of the criteria that can generate a

positive place experience if some appropriate measures can be taken. Their overall

tourist experiences are also positive. Therefore, from this positive place experience,

existing place characters can be enhanced in order to produce a more refined tourist’s

place experience in future. Some strategies to refine place characters of Dhaka to

refine the experience of tourists have also been recommended in the document.

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Table of contents

Page Acknowledgement i Abstract ii Table of Contents iii List of Tables vi List of Figures vii List of Abbreviation ix

Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................... 1-5 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Problem Statement 2 1.3 Objectives with Specific Aims 4 1.4 Rationale of the Study 5 1.5 Possible Outcomes of the Study 5

Chapter 2: Research Methodology ..................................................................... 6-17

2.1 Nature of research 6 2.2 Scopes of Research 6 2.3 Theoretical Propositions of the Study 7 2.4 Study Period 7 2.5 Research Method 7 2.5.1 Literature Review 8 2.5.2 Selection of the Study Area 8 2.5.3 Data Collection 8 2.5.4 Population 9 2.5.5 Sampling 10 2.5.6 Survey Instrument 11 2.5.7 Analysis and Recommendations 14 2.5.8 Organization of the Research 15 2.6 Limitation of the Study 16 Chapter 3: Literature Review .......………………………………………….. 19-30 3.1 Introduction 19 3.2 Travel Motivation 19 3.3 Place 19 3.3.1 Concepts of Place 20 3.4 Place Experience 21 3.4.1 Types of Place Experience 21 3.5 Placemaking 22 3.5.1 Criteria for Making Better Settings through Placemaking 22 3.6 Tourist Experience 24 3.6.1 Type of Tourists 24 3.6.2 Concepts of Tourist Experience 25 3.6.3 Process of Tourist Experience 26 3.6.4 Tourist Experience in Urban Area 28 3.7 Model of Attitude Measurement 28 3.7.1 The Study’s Working Model 29

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Chapter 4: Placemaking around the World ……………………………….. 31-44 4.1 Introduction 31 4.2 Paris, France 31 4.3 Camden HighStreet, London, England 33 4.4 Las Ramblas , Barcelona , Spain 34 4.5 Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland 35 4.6 Acland, Melbourne, Australia 35 4.7 United Arab Emirates 36 4.8 Kuala lumpur, Malaysia 37 4.9 Dhaka , Bangladesh 39 4.9.1 Outcome of the restoration project 42 Chapter 5: Place Character of Dhaka………………………………………. 45-62 5.1 Introduction 45 5.2 Dhaka City as a Place 45 5.2.1 Image and Identity of Dhaka 46 5.2.2 Spatial Characteristics of Dhaka 47 5.2.3 Place Experience in Dhaka 50 5.3 Tourism Products of Dhaka 55 5.4 Tourist Experience in Dhaka 56 Chapter 6: Data Analysis …………………………………………... 63-93 6.1 Introduction 63 6.2 Survey on Tour Operators 63 6.2.1 Most Popular Tourist Route in Dhaka 64 6.2.2 Popular Places for Tourist in Dhaka 65 6.2.3 Tourist Demographics according to the Tour Operators 68 6.2.4 Safety Measures Taken by the Operators 69 6.2.5 Number of English Speaking guide 69 6.2.6 Recommendations of the Tour Operators 69 6.3 Survey on City Dwellers 69 6.3.1 Profile of the Interviewers 69 6.3.2 Leisure Activity of the City Dwellers 70 6.3.3 Mode of Transport Getting around Dhaka city 71 6.3.4 Travel Experience in Abroad 72 6.3.5 Places in Dhaka for Spending Time 72 6.3.6 Recommendations by City Dwellers 76 6.4 Survey on Tourists 77 6.4.1 Tourist Profile 77 6.4.2 Preferred Places by the Foreign Tourist in Dhaka 82 6.4.3 Place Experience Analysis 85 6.4.4 Analysis of Place Characters Using MAM 88 6.4.5 Gap Analysis 89 6.4.6 Analysis of Overall Tourist Experience 90 6.4.7 Evaluation of Tourist Experiences in Dhaka 92 6.4.8 Significant Findings of the Tourist Survey 93

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Chapter 7: Strategies to Improve and Increase Tourists’ Visits in Dhaka by Integrating Urban Planning with Urban Design and Development…….. 94-123

7.1 Introduction 94 7.2 Strategies to create great public places in Dhaka 94 7.2.1 Determining the character of the public spaces 94 7.2.2 Public Goals should be the Primary Objective 95 7.2.3 Building on Existing Assets and Context 95 7.2.4 Creating Multiple-use Destinations 96 7.2.5 Connecting the Destinations 97 7.2.6 Maximizing Opportunities for Public Access 98 7.2.7 Balancing Environmental Benefits with Human Needs 98 7.2.8 Making Big Changes through Small Steps 99 7.3 Placemaking through Better settings 100 7.4 Refining Tourists’ Place experience 132 7.5 Recommendations for Future Research 134 7.6 Conclusion 134

References ………………………………………………………………. 135-141

Appendices ………………………………………………………………. 142-155 Appendix I : Questionnaire Appendix II : List of 100 Tourist Attraction Spots Selected by Parjatan Corporation Appendix III : List of Tour Operators Appendix IV : List of 10 Selected Tour Operators

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List of Tables Table 3.1 : Concepts of Place 20

Table 3.2 : Concepts of Tourist Experience 26

Table 3.3 : Factors to consider in evaluating the urban tourist experience 28

Table 6.1 : City Dwellers Preferred Shopping Venues 74

Table 6.2 : Preferred Attraction Spots of City Dwellers within the City 76

Table 6.3 : Importance of Place Characters to the Tourists 86

Table 6.4 : Experience of Place Characters in Dhaka by the Tourists 86

Table 6.5 : Place Characters Mean Scores 88

Table 6.6 : Differences of Mean Scores (Values) 89

Table 6.7 : Gap Values in Ascending Orders 90

Table 6.8 : Overall Tourist Experience Evaluation 91

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List of Figures

Figure 2.1 : Flow Chart of the Research Methodology 18

Figure 3.1 : Concepts of Place 21

Figure 3.2 : Tourist Experience 26

Figure 3.3 : Tourist’s Place Experience Process 27

Figure 3.4 : The Four Cells of the Fishbein’s Measurement of Attitude 29

Figure 3.5 : Placemaking and Tourist’s Place Experience 30

Figure 4.1 : Dhanmondi Lake Renovation project 40

Figure 4.2 : Dhanmandi lake & lake side developement project 41

Figure 4.3 : Dhanmondi area and the lake before development 42

Figure 5.1 : Location of Important Features in Old Dhaka 48

Figure 6.1 : Location of Major Tourist Spots & Most Popular Tourist Route 64

Figure 6.2 : Location of Most Visited Shopping Centre in Dhaka City 66

Figure 6.3 : Location of Tourist Preferred Places for Dining in Dhaka City 67

Figure 6.4 : Age Group of Respondents 70

Figure 6.5 : Occupation of Respondents 70

Figure 6.6 : Activities of the City Dwellers during Leisure Time 71

Figure 6.7 : Mode of Transport getting around Dhaka by the City Dwellers 72

Figure 6.8 : Travel Experience of City Dwellers in Foreign Country 72

Figure 6.9 : Preferred Shopping Venues of the City Dwellers 73

Figure 6.10 : Preferred Dining Venues of the City Dwellers 75

Figure 6.11 : Gender Scenario of the Foreign Tourist Interviewed 77

Figure 6.12 : Age Group of Touists 77

Figure 6.13 : Country of Residence of Tourists 78

Figure 6.14 : Educational Background of Tourists 78

Figure 6.15 : Occupation of Tourists 78

Figure 6.16 : Main Purpose of Visiting Dhaka 79

Figure 6.17 : Party Composition 78

Figure 6.18 : Mode of Transport 80

Figure 6.19 : Most Visited Tourist Accommodation in Dhaka 81

Figure 6.20 : Prior Experience in Dhaka 82

Figure 6.21 : Tourist Attraction Visited in Dhaka 82

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Figure 6.22 : Education and Cultural Spots Visited by Tourists 84

Figure 6.23 : Shopping Venus Visited by Tourist in Dhaka 85

Figure 6.24 : Dining Places for Tourist in Dhaka 85

Figure 6.25 : Comparison between Perceived Importance and Actual Place

Experience by Tourists in Dhaka 87

Figure 6.26 : Model of Attitude Measurement on the Tourists’ Place Experience 88

Figure 6.27 : Difference of Mean Scores 89

Figure 6.28 : Overall Tourist Experience Evaluation 91

Figure 6.29 : Evaluation of Tourist Experience in Dhaka 92

Figure 7.1 : Character of the Public Spaces 94

Figure 7.2 : Existing Assets and Context 95

Figure 7.3 : Multiple Use Destinations 96

Figure 7.4 : Connecting the Destinations 97

Figure 7.5 : Maximizing Opportunities for Public Access 98

Figure 7.6 : Boardwalks provides opportunities to interact with wildlife along

natural shorelines. 99

Figure 7.7 : Temporary uses might provide a successful example of how low-cost

improvements with their surroundings to create great destinations. 100

Figure 7.8 : International standard Convention Centres/Accommodation/

Shopping Mall to accommodate tourists. 101

Figure 7.9 : High standard flea market with ample walking space providing

exclusive tourism product. 103

Figure 7.10 : Seating/waiting area in busy Township 103

Figure 7.11 : Recreation facilities in the city. 104

Figure 7.12 : Unscociable places. 104

Figure 7.13 : Places fostering public interaction 105

Figure 7.14 : Squares and Plazas in the city to enhance placemaking 107

Figure 7.15 : Different kind of seating option in Squares and Plazas in the

city to enhance placemaking 108

Figure 7.16 : Plants creating canopy over roads and creating different kind of

experience. 109

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Figure 7.17 : Information centre/ Display Hall/ Souvenir shop/café all under same

roof at strategic places. Street lighting plays major role for making a

vibrant place. 110

Figure 7.18 : Creating pattern and sequence through six season gardens along

the patterned parking area in the foreground. 111

Figure 7.19 : Urban trails create unique sightseeing experience within the city. 112

Figure 7.20 : Shakrain –an unique celebration of the people of old Dhaka. 113

Figure 7.21 : Food draws people. 114

Figure 7.22 : Chawk Bazar food street of old Dhaka during Ramadan –

it can be turned into a great destination for tourist if it becomes

a round the year event and greater accessibility is ensured. 115

Figure 7.23 : National Assembly Building area can be a vibrant place for the

city. Photography with National Assembly Building of

Bangladesh 115

Figure 7.24 : River Cruise experience can be a memorable one if the river

banks are planned deliberately. 116

Figure 7.25 : Present way of dining can be converted into a sophisticated

dining experience. 117

Figure 7.26 : Instead of untreated river side, stepped bank can be a good

place for enjoying the river. 117

Figure 7.27 : Well designed bridges can be a place of attraction if a standing

place is provided accordingly. Well paved walkway is a treasure

to the River bank. 118

Figure 7.28 : Defferent kind of sitting arrangement along the riverside parks,

walkway enhances the public space quality. 118

Figure 7.29 : Well defined places for multiple kind of activity can make the

place more vibrant. 119

Figure 7.30 : walkway and sitting arrangement along the River 119

Figure 7.31 : Jogging trail, sitting arrangement and open to theatre by the

River side 119

Figure 7.32 : Fishing deck and bird feeding point. 120

Figure 7.33 : Exhibition Area. 120

Figure 7.34 : Water features that can be turned off without hampering aesthetic

value of the area as well as it can make the adjacent area cooler

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during summer while it’s in use. 121

Figure 7.35 : Water features and its uses. 121

Figure 7.36 : Lighting as Aesthetical features . 123

Figure 7.37 : Night Lighting and Aesthetically designed bridges . 125

Figure 7.38 : Parks and plazas adjacent to very large buildings should include

some kind of overhead plane to create spatial enclosure and

make the space feel human in scale. Trellises, trees and umbrellas

are all effective means of achieving this. 127

Figure 7.39 : A pedestrian walkway designed to accommodate an exhibition

during walk. 128

Figure 7.40 : Sunken Sitting Area. 128

Figure 7.41 : Excellent features for resting and photo shooting as well as. 128

Figure 7.42 : Miscellaneous example of creative place making through

weather control 129

Figure 7.43 : Miscellaneous example of creative place making through sculpture 129

Figure 7.44 : Parks can always serve as transition points, resting place or

alternative venues to conduct activities and festivals. 131

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

BPC Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation

BTTF Bangladesh Travel & Tourism Fair

DCC Dhaka City Corporation

RAJUK Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (City Development Authority)

MAM Model of Attitude Measurement

PPS Project for Public Spaces

WTTC World Travel and Tourism Council

UNWTO United Nations World Tourism Organization

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CHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction Experiencing places is an integral process in tourism. The outcome of the experience

will either have a long-lasting impact on the tourists or just merely a short-term

impression of the place visited. When the interaction between places and tourist are

really satisfying, tourists feel to visit those places again. Spaces created become

places, and places act as the setting where tourists interact with the people and

experience the environment of the destination visited. Experiences are also

undoubtedly different from one tourist to another as each tourist brings with them

diverse backgrounds, conceptions and expectations. Therefore, as designers and

planners of places, it is vital to understand what makes a great destination in order to

give a high quality of experience to tourists. In creating places for tourism, it is

essential to focus on the characteristics of the place that appeal to tourists. At the

same time, evaluation of tourists experience and satisfaction are also quite important.

In this regard, placemaking might be a tool to improve the status of a city as a

successful tourist destination. Through placemaking, a city can meet the recreational,

educational and emotional needs of tourist, both local and foreign. Small

improvements to the city can bring dramatic changes – even improve cities’ chance

of attracting and retaining visitors. Thus it can boost the economy also which

contributes to the ultimate development of the area and consequently the city.

Placemaking is the process of retaining the essence of a place while improving its

physical and psychological aspects so that people are attracted to that place [Canter,

1997]. It is the art and science of creating good public outdoor spaces where people

want to gather. It is about programming outside spaces, not just letting them happen.

The term placemaking began to be used in the 1970s by architects and planners to

describe the process of creating squares, plazas, parks, streets and waterfronts that

will attract people because they are pleasurable or interesting.

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This thesis highlights some important attributes that share common ground between

the field of city planning and tourism, where physical design meets tourist experience

and satisfaction. Likewise, travellers are satisfied with their travel experiences when

their expectations are met. And the way the tangible elements of attraction is

designed gives shape to the intangible visitors’ experiences [Swarbrooke, 2002]. In

this regard, the duty of a city planner is to find out the gap between tourists’

expectation and the real experience while travelling in a city. If the gap is large the

tourist satisfaction level is low. Therefore, a high degree of tourist satisfaction is

expected to be generated from a distinct and positive tourist experience in relation to

the place characters evaluated [Zakaria, 2006]. And, here comes the scope of

placemaking to refine the quality of spaces within the city to ensure increased

number of visitors in the future.

1.2 Problem Statement Tourism is recognized as one of the major sector in the global services economy. The

income that is generating from current global tourism boom provides opportunity for

increased national income; and, most of the countries of the world irrespective of

their level of economic development are active in drawing benefit out of it. In one

hand it contributes to the social and economic development of a country and on the

other helps to combat un-employment by creating direct and indirect jobs [Hawlader,

2007]. However, for reason unknown tourism industry received very little

recognition in Bangladesh. All the past governments and policy makers for economic

development have ignored this sector. As a result despite having great potentials,

Bangladesh lags far behind in tourism.

In 2006 Malaysia received only 27,000 tourists from Bangladesh but after their

participation in BTTF (Bangladesh Travel & Tourism Fair) 2009, they received

87,000 Bangladeshi tourists which is the highest (77%) growth in the whole world.

Thailand received around 66,000 tourists from Bangladesh last year (2009). A

minimum of 2000 Bangladeshi tourists visit India every day. Bhutan has doubled

their inbound tourists from Bangladesh after their participation in BTTF 2009

[TOAB, 2010]. The reason behind the figure is crystal clear. In spite of having much

3

potential in this field we are not able to provide proper tourism infrastructure and

facilities to our own people. So they are going abroad and searching for better places

to spend their leisure time and holidays with their friends and families.

At present, the tourism industry of Bangladesh in at its infancy and it has a very

small contribution to rapid growth of tourism in Asia, particularly in the South Asian

region of the world where growth is approximately 8% as per the United Nations

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The constraints for which the sector is

struggling to keep up with the growth pace of other Asian countries are,

· Lack of effective policy and planning,

· Inadequate destination infrastructure including environmental degradation,

· Lack of developed tourism facilities,

· Lack of access to skilled manpower,

· Poor tourism awareness and

· Lack of promotion.

Despite this, BPC estimates illustrate that annual growth of the inbound tourists over

the last 8 years has been 8% on average. Apart from inbound tourists, due to a

growing middle income population with higher disposable income, domestic tourism

is also increasing with strong and sustained average growth rates of about 25% per

annum. Hence, there is scope for improving both inbound and domestic tourist flow

within the country [TOAB, 2010]

From 2000 to 2011, foreign visitors' grew from 2 lakh to 5.9 lakh in Bangladesh.

Every year the number is increasing. Dhaka being the main entry point, a major share

of these visitors also visits this city. In the year 2009, arrivals direct in Dhaka is

about 2 lakhs which is about 70% of total arrival of foreign visitors in the country in

that year [TOAB, 2010].

Dhaka has a cultural legacy of more than 400 years. Its urban history is a reflection

of the changing fortunes of the sub-continent as a whole. Therefore, the city has

4

something interesting around every corner. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation states

that there are over 100 tourists’ attraction spots in Dhaka [BPC, 2010]. An immense

scope for tourists can be created through conscious urban planning and design and

also by integrating the places of attraction to the city through proper planning. As

there seems to be very limited opportunities in Dhaka for residents to spend their

leisure time or short holidays within the city, it is assumed that, through placemaking

the whole city can be revitalized. Moreover, by improving space quality and

satisfying tourist experiences of places, increasing number of tourists can be attracted

to the city.

Although the numbers are increasing in terms of arrivals, there is a concern

pertaining to the overall tourist experience within the city. Tangible elements alone

cannot ensure a positive tourist experience if what is offered does not match with

what is expected and demanded. To ensure that the tourists have an interesting visit

and a high possibility of future visits, their level of place experience and satisfaction

have to be evaluated and refined accordingly. However, without an evaluation on the

visitors place experience in Dhaka, it is difficult to take proper initiative to improve

the place character of the city. Hence, the logical need to conduct such a study on

Dhaka.

1.3 Objectives with Specific Aims The goal of the study is to contribute some knowledge to make Dhaka city as an

attractive destination for both local and foreign visitors through the Place Making

Process.

In this regard the specific objectives of the thesis are-

· To identify places which tourists visit most in Dhaka,

· To identify the place character and identify gaps between tourists

expectations and reality, if any,

· Formulate strategies to improve and increase tourist visits in Dhaka

through integrating Place Making procedures into the process of urban

planning, design and development.

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1.4 Rationale of the Study As Bangladesh tourism lags behind in its growth and development and in attracting a

significant number of tourists to visit its destinations, the situation therefore calls for

the identification of the causes and formulation of policy and strategy measures. The

findings of the present study may be of immense help in these contexts.

As there has been no major study covering this area, it is expected that this thesis will

provide sufficient information about the scope of placemaking in Dhaka. Besides,

policy makers, service providers and academicians will also be benefited from a

study like this.

Furthermore, having much potential, urban planning related to tourism sector of

Bangladesh lends itself to a systematic and structured study.

Finally, as an emerging research area, this study will provide additional knowledge

and literature to the existing ones, and generate interest and thoughts for further

research to issues related to the tourism industry in Bangladesh.

1.5 Possible Outcomes of the Study

Results of this thesis will suggest strategies for Dhaka to generate a positive place

experience. Existing place characters can be enhanced based on overall tourist

experiences in order to produce more refined place experience for tourist in the

future.

A comprehensive understanding from the present trend will help the decision makers

and planners to formulate policies to deal with the placemaking issue for visitors in

Dhaka and accordingly recreate all the place of interest in Bangladesh more

judiciously.

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CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

2.1 Nature of Research The present study attempts to find out the determinants of attractiveness of Dhaka

based on tourist’s expectation, experience and satisfaction with tourist related

attributes of destination. Since existing research on tourists experience while visiting

Dhaka tend to focus more on the wider aspect of experience such as services, life

style, motivations with emphasis on place design and placemaking, nature of this

study is exploratory rather than testing any hypothesis. An exploratory study aims to

gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it, conducted to

formulate a more research problem or to develop hypothesis (Selltiz and Cook,

1962). By definition, an exploratory research involves investigation of problems on

which little formal knowledge is available (Rahman, 1997). Being the nature of this

study an exploratory one and using descriptive statistical tools rather than inferential

statistical ones, the present study is both a theoretical as well as an empirical one.

2.2 Scopes of Research The study has attempted to cover five main areas. These include the study of

(i) Evaluation of visitors expectation about the place-characteristics of any place.

(ii) Evaluation of the tourist’s experience of a particular place based on its place

character.

(iii) Evaluation of gaps between tourists’ expectation and experience.

(iv) Evaluation of tourists’ profile and trip characteristic to Dhaka.

(v) Suggestions for reforms and improvements

The study has attempted both micro- and macro-level analyses. At the micro-level,

activities of the tourist within the city have been explored and analyzed. In the

macro- level analyses, the overall performance of Dhaka as a tourist destination has

been measured.

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2.3 Theoretical Propositions of the Study Sufficient research-based literatures on tourism industry in Bangladesh are not

available. On the basis of available literatures and expert opinion, an attempt has

been done to draw some theoretical propositions and evaluate those in light of the

analysis and findings. These broad propositions are related to the key issues of the

research problem and have been developed to achieve the objectives of the study.

These propositions along with scope of the thesis have defined the extent and

coverage of the thesis and guided the acquisition of necessary data. Finally, some

propositions have been put forwarded for policy and managerial implications.

However, the propositions drawn for this study include the following:

Ø Bangladesh tourism industry is still not ready to provide necessary tourism

infrastructure and facilities for the tourists visit Dhaka.

Ø Adequate numbers of tourists do not visit the country and the existing tourism

firms do not have the capacity to cater the tourists.

Ø The overall place character of Dhaka is not strong enough to create a positive

place experience among the tourists.

Ø Placemaking can be an effective tool of refining tourists place experience

within the city of Dhaka.

Ø Dhaka can expect to become an important visiting destination by adopting

effective and practical strategies in the context of the findings of this thesis

2.4 Study Period The field survey has been conducted and the field level data have been collected

during the months from August to December 2010. Data collected for this study have

been tabulated during the month of September to January 2011. The preparation of

the report, editing, and finalizing touch have been done during the period from

January to February 2011.

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2.5 Research Method

2.5.1 Literature Review The literature review aimed at establishing a clear understanding of the research area

i.e. place, place experience, placemaking and tourist experience. Sources of

information are books, journals, conference papers and other research publications

and internet. The study design was also developed in this stage.

2.5.2 Selection of the Study Area Dhaka City Corporation area has been considered to be the study area, as it is the

capital city and the findings here can be applied to other cities of the country.

2.5.3 Data Collection The data collected in this study is a combination of primary data and secondary data.

Primary Data: The primary data was acquired through field survey conducted in

selected study areas of Dhaka city using self-administered questionnaires on foreign

tourists, city dwellers and tour operators. Locations that were chosen for the survey

are primarily along major tourist attraction spots of Dhaka and renowned tourist

accommodations, popular shopping places, food outlets and tour operators’ office.

Data pertaining to the potentials of tourism development in Dhaka through

placemaking have been collected from ten randomly selected tour operators through

in-depth personal interview with pre-designed questionnaire. In order to understand

the impressions of the tourists, an in-depth face-to-face interview with 100 foreign

tourists and 100 city dwellers has been conducted. In the interview, respondents have

answered some unstructured questions on their own and rated some other structured

questions focused by the five points on the Likert Scale.

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Some respondent executives or owners of tourism firms have taken time to provide

answers and return the filled in questionnaires. Besides, the process of identifying

tourist respondents from different countries, occupations, ages, sexes has taken time

and thus a total of three months have been spent to complete the field survey.

Secondary Data: The secondary data had been obtained from relevant studies,

reports, statistics and researches published by Bangladesh Tourism Organization,

annual reports of Tourism Research by Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC), etc.

Whatever limited secondary data could be made available those have been

incorporated effectively, logically and carefully in this study. For this reason,

relevant literatures on tourism in general have been collected from different

newspapers, magazines, journals, periodicals, internets, and research reports.

Souvenirs, brochures, travel handbooks, leaflet, and folders of different tour

operators have also been found useful. Thus, attempt has been made to collect

sufficient secondary data from all the above mentioned sources to define the research

problem, develop a theoretical base, raise necessary arguments, justify logic, identify

the constraints to the development of the positive place characters in Dhaka, draw

effective policy and managerial implications for placemaking, and highlight

potentials of tourism development in Dhaka through placemaking.

Collected information has been reviewed extensively to assimilate ideas for the

research work, synthesize necessary concepts for the theoretical framework and

justify logic of the comments.

2.5.4 Population The research problem along with its objectives and propositions indicated that data

should be collected from the foreign visitors as well as those firms and parties who

are directly or indirectly involved in the tourism activities of Bangladesh like Tour

operators. At the same time, Experience and views of the city dwellers also require to

analyze in order to set the strategies of Placemaking within Dhaka city. As such, the

scope of different categories of population has been taken for this study is limited to

the following:

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i. Tourists: The study has included the foreign tourists visiting Bangladesh and

local visitors. It has also chosen the foreign residents who are staying in Dhaka

for their job purpose. It has basically confined itself to the study of tourists'

perceptions of the place character of Dhaka.

ii. Tourism Organizations: As Tour operators are the major role players in the

development and business activities of the tourism industry. So, 10 selected

tour operators are interviewed in order to trace out the tourist demographic,

popular tourist route and strategies required to make Dhaka more attractive for

tourist.

iii. City Dwellers: They have been interviewed to evaluate existing facilities of

the city to spend leisure time, find out activities they do to pass free time as

well as to identify attractive spots of the city and the most important issue is to

trace out the expectation of the city dwellers.

2.5.5 Sampling The foremost and important step of primary data collection is the selection of sample from which data is to be collected. It is mentioned earlier that the study has considered 3 categories of population.

In an attempt to gauge the perceptions/attitudes of tourists, a total number of 200 (100 domestic and 100 foreign) tourists have been selected in the sample of this category. The number 200 is taken from the arrival of 2 lakhs tourists in the year 2008 as its represents 1:1000 ratio (BPC, 2009). Respondents are specifically targeted on tourists from different countries, aged 18 and above and only limited to specific perimeters of area in Dhaka, which is primarily along different tourist attraction spots, entertainment and shopping places and accommodations in Dhaka. A total of 100 questionnaires are distributed among the available foreign tourists within the areas of Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Banani, Uttara, Old Dhaka etc. Another 100 questionnaire was given to the local visitors visiting different attraction spots within Dhaka randomly.

11

One of the important criteria of the selection of tour operators was to include those who had at least five years' professional experience of dealing tours and tourists. A total number of ten private tour operators have been taken in the sample.

Top executives of the BPC have constituted the sample for the third category of respondents. Necessary information on their place experiences in Dhaka has been collected from this category. Finally, tourism experts, academicians, travel and tourism writers and professional guides have also been considered to collect their opinion through informal conversations.

2.5.6 Survey Instrument The survey instrument that is utilised in this study is tourist survey through

researcher’s pre-test, observation, interviews and questionnaires etc.

i) Reconnaissance Survey

A reconnaissance survey has been conducted throughout the city before the

commencement of the questionnaire Survey to enrich the questionnaire and to

gather information regarding the existing city place characteristics, tourist

attraction spots, tourist facilities and tourist availability in the study area through

observation and by interviewing local people, experts and expatriates.

ii) Pre-test

A pre-test of questionnaire was done in order to refine and improve the

questionnaire so that the respondents can better complete the surveys. Before

launching the field survey, three-fold pilot surveys have been conducted to pre-

test the questionnaires, modify the questions set and thus finalize them. The

main purposes of these pilot surveys have been to test the availability of data,

examine the practicability of the questions and understand about the topics to

cover for such comprehensive interviews. Another purpose of the pilot survey

was to be acquainted with the relevant technical aspects on the subject matter of

the study. Thus these pilot surveys and pre-tests have served the purposes of

improving the questionnaires.

12

In the pilot survey academicians, research experts and some selected

respondents have been requested to express their opinion and give necessary

suggestions in connection with finalizing the questionnaires. In the first phase,

the questionnaires developed earlier by the researcher have been passed on to a

few senior teachers of the faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management of

University of Dhaka. They provided some valuable suggestions to make those

questionnaires simple and unambiguous so that respondents can easily

understand the questions set there. In the second phase of pilot survey, some

research experts has been consulted and corrections were done. Thereafter, the

pilot survey has been conducted among the respondents. This phase of pilot

survey included preliminary discussions and interviews with BPC executives,

tour operators, and tourists. In light of the experience gained by the pilot survey,

all three sets of questionnaires have been suitably amended.

iii) Observation

Observation method had been applied to note tourist activities and their

behaviour on site. Informal activities engaged by the tourists could be used to

further elaborate the rationale of their evaluations. The findings of the

observation are mentioned in the following chapters.

iv) Interviews

Interview with officials of concerned agencies provided information regarding

improvement and image creation for Dhaka and also highlighted gaps between

placemaking and place experiences of tourists.

v) Questionnaire survey

This research undertakes an approach that considers the relative importance of

itemised attitudinal components listed upon a questionnaire. Model of Attitude

Measurement in this research uses the basis of the Personal Construct Theory

which permits the construction of Likert scales that utilise variables that reflect

attributes considered important by actual or potential users of a tourist zone

(Ryan, 1995).

13

In case of the foreign tourists, information had been collected through a close-ended

and self-administered questionnaire having five sections.

1. Questions regarding to the expectations of tourists and the degree of importance

they attach to specific characters of places. In this regard, a 5 point Likert scale

is used ranging from ‘very important’ to ‘important’ to note their expectation

level. The characters of specific places had acted on variables that would

represent major element in place experience.

2. The evaluative components had included questions indicating whether the

particular place Dhaka posses the same degree of attribute as used in the first

part. A 5-point Likert scale had been used and is ranged from ‘strongly agree’ to

‘strongly disagree’.

3. The levels of satisfaction experienced by the tourists pertain to evaluation of the

tourists’ overall experience in Dhaka had been questioned out. This is also been

measured through a 5-point rating scale of place experience factors that

represents high quality experience.

4. The fourth part is all about the present place characteristics of Dhaka in its

qualitative form.

5. The fifth section consists of information pertaining the respondent’s trip

characteristics and tourist routes in Dhaka to find out the most visited place in

the city.

Another questionnaire had been prepared for local visitors to know how they spend

their leisure time within the city, where they usually go and had they ever been to

abroad so that they can compare the qualities of a tourist destination with the existing

Dhaka.

A questionnaire for the tour operators who operates tour within Dhaka was added

just to explore the major route tourists usually cover during their visit to Dhaka.

In each cases recommendation has been collected from each group for refining

tourists place experience within the city of Dhaka, which is included in the final part

of the report.

14

2.5.7 Analysis and Recommendations The data obtained had been classified, tabulated and presented in the form of maps,

tables and graphs using different statistical techniques. Descriptive analysis is used to

examine tourist’s profile, trip characteristics, tourist route and experience evaluation.

Fishbein’s Model of Attitude Measurement (Ryan, 1995) was applied to identify two

important components of attitude: the evaluative component (expectation) and the

importance of that belief (experience).

The final stage of the study is the formulation of recommendations and all the

collected information had been put together in the form of a report.

Potentials of tourism development in Dhaka evaluating its place characteristics have

been presented theoretically on the basis of responses given by the respondents and

also on the basis of comments and arguments available in different secondary

literature. Performance of tourism industry in Bangladesh has been measured in light

of foreign currency earned from, employment generated by, and growth achieved in

this sector. Presentation of simple mean-scores, calculated on the basis of responses

made by the respondent tourists on a five-point Likert Scale, also reflects the

performances as well as tourists' satisfaction on different tourism service-

arrangements .Here, the nature of questions has been structured and the responses on

the scale associated with the questions have been valued as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, in order to

convert the qualitative responses into quantitative forms. Thus the questionnaire

designed for the respondent tourists incorporated objective questions each consisting

of five dimensions. The perception scores obtained on these objective issues have

been totalled first. The total value/score thus derived from each of such questions has

then been averaged to find the mean value/score of the issue under consideration and

indicate the extent of tourists' satisfaction on an average on each issue separately.

Thus, these mean scores have been presented to indicate the extent of tourists'

satisfaction on that particular tourism-service in Dhaka. Side by side, the overall

mean perception-score has also been calculated to indicate the overall satisfaction of

the tourists on the totality of place arrangements in Dhaka. In some of the cases, data

15

have been analyzed and interpreted through the use of conventional statistical tools

like percentage, simple growth rate, and standard deviation. The standard deviation

of the mean scores on different tourism issues has been calculated to show the range

of differences among them and thus indicate whether they are meaningful in a sense

that they are within the acceptable limit or narrow range.

2.5.8 Organization of the Research The write-up of this thesis has been organized in seven different chapters. Logical

sequence has been maintained in framing and organizing the report. Chapter One

starts with presentation of the introductory discussion. The chapter broadly includes

preamble, Background of the study, the research problem, and objectives of the

study, possible outcome of the study and justification of the study.

The purpose of Chapter two is to describe the research methods of the study. The

content of this chapter includes the nature of the study, scope of the study, theoretical

propositions of the study, literature review, population, sample size, sample selection

procedure, data collection procedure both primary and secondary, preparation of

questionnaire, data analysis and interpretation, organizational framework of the

research report and limitations of the study.

Chapter three is all about literature review regarding different terms used in the title

and description of different analytical tools.

Chapter four presents how placemaking is used as an effective tool for the overall

improvement of city environment around the world.

Chapter five focuses on the place characteristics of Dhaka city.

Chapter six attempts to measure the performance of Dhaka as a tourist as well as

explores the most popular tourist routes for the city dwellers and tourists in Dhaka. It

also identifies the gap analysis between expectation and experience of tourists in

Dhaka.

16

Chapter seven discusses how placemaking can be used to create positive place

experience for tourists within Dhaka. It prescribes necessary suggestions for perfect

placemaking in Dhaka and finally, concludes with remarks, and depicts the scope for

further research.

2.6 Limitation of the Study The first and foremost among the limitations of this study is related with the samples

selected for the study. It would be better and representative if the size of samples,

especially in the case of foreign tourists, could be relatively larger. The present study

has investigated only a total number of 100 of the foreign tourists mainly due to

resource constraints. Only 100 respondent tourists out of the total inflow of about

two lacs foreign tourists visiting Dhaka and large number of local tourists may or

may not represent the total impressions of the tourists visiting different destinations

in Dhaka. Nevertheless, since the study has considered a small number of tourists,

the conclusion with regard to the visitors’ behaviours, preferences of tourists, and

satisfaction on Dhaka tourism arrangements could never be considered as concrete

judgment.

The second limitation is that, the questionnaire used as survey instrument is limited

to self-administered measures. Respondents may understand or interpret the items

asked in the questionnaire differently, as respondents have different academic

background.

The third limitation was the non-availability of literature on placemaking in Dhaka.

This has limited the researchers to develop any comprehensive insights into the

problem under consideration and thus draw any precise hypothesis and test it

accordingly.

The fourth limitation was related with the assessment of contribution made by the

tourism sector in the economy. The foreign currency income alone does not reflect

the real income of the country from tourism sector, No concrete calculation

procedure is there to assess the actual income from tourism sector in Bangladesh, and

17

things are same about Dhaka. Besides this, there are some hidden expenditure of

tourists and some income of different tourism firms, hotels and restaurants, travel

agencies, private airline, and private tour operators could not be collected as they are

not properly documented and could not be taken into account. Further, all these

incomes have multiplier effect on the overall economy. Thus the non documentation

and non availability of data lead to reflect or present a part of the total contribution of

the tourism sector on the economy.

The fifth limitation was regarding limited time and funding. The survey was

conducted between the months of August and December. Data results may only

reflect or represent a period in a year, and not throughout a one year period and this

was not the tourist season as well. Therefore, on this ground of time cons the findings

of this study could be discounted at least to some extent. The fund was also not

sufficient to execute such an extensive study.

18

Fig 2.1: Flow Chart of the Research Methodology

Problem Statement

Goal and Objectives

Literature Review

Concept of Place

Place Experience

Placemaking Tourist Experience

Data Collection

Secondary Sources Previous Study, Reports, Journals, Statistics, published and unpublished materials, Including thesis, journal articles, books, etc.

Primary Sources 1.Questionnaire 2.Interview 5.Observation

Analysis and Synthesis

Place Characters Evaluation

Tourist Experience

Tourist Demand

Recommendation

Refine Tourist’s Place Experience through

Placemaking

19

CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW

3.1 Introduction This thesis is about ‘refining tourists’ place experience through place-making in

Dhaka and primarily deals with tourist experience of places and how this can be

refined through pre-designed places or creating places. Before venturing to conduct

the actual thesis, there is need to understand the key words of this thesis (ie. tourist,

travel motivation, places, place making, making places through urban design and

planning etc.) and what meaning they hold for the thesis. This is necessary into order

to better understand the problem stated in this thesis and consequently for better

analysis and fruitful solutions. Subsequently it briefly explains the Model of Attitude

Measurement as a supporting tool to evaluate tourist experience.

3.2 Travel Motivation According to McIntosh, Goeldner and Ritchie (1995) there are few motivators of

travel for which people go to places

• Physical motivators: People do travel for refreshment of body and mind,

health, sport and pleasure. They seek for activities which will reduce tension.

• Cultural motivators: Some people have desire to see and know more about

other cultures. Their main focus on the natives, their lifestyle, music, art,

folklore, dances etc.

• Interpersonal motivators: Some people have a great wish to meet new people,

visit friends or relatives and by these they try to escape for sometime from the

drudgery of life. At a time status and prestige, personal development, education,

seek recognition and attention from others also counted as interpersonal

motivators.

3.3 Place Place is a concentration around a focal point (Lekavalio, 2006). A place usually has a

fixed location and features in forms that can be identified. Essentially place forms the

basic elements that shape our experiences of the world. The concept of place has

appeared in writings that both deal with the psychological and physical environment.

20

3.3.1 Concepts of Place

Concepts of place are identified based on these literatures

Lukermann

(1964)

Six major components of the concept of place:

1. The idea of location can be described in terms of internal characteristics

(site) and external connectivity to other locations (situation).

2. Place involves integration of elements of ‘nature’ and ‘culture’ which

distinguishes it from the next place. Every place is a unique entity.

3. Although every place is unique, it is connected by ‘circulation’, a

system of ‘spatial Interactions and transfers’.

4. Places are ‘emerging’ and ‘becoming’. Due to historical and cultural

change, new elements are added and old elements disappear.

Relph

(1976)

1. Places are experienced through its setting, landscape, ritual, routine,

other people, personal experiences, care and concern for home and in the

context of other places. Place cannot be experienced independently.

2. It is an all-round phenomenon of experience.

3. A place is a centre of action and intention where we experience events

of our existence. This event is significant only in the context of certain

places and is influenced by the character of those places.

Canter

(1997)

1. Place has geographical, architectural and social connotation.

2. We define a place based on attributes that we use to describe it.

3. Place is a result of relationship between conceptions, activities and

physical attributes.

Table 3.1: Concepts of Places (Source: Compilation by Researcher)

Based on these concepts, it can be derived that “Place” is a composition of elements

related to not only the physical place itself, but also its users’ personalities and

behaviours (Figure 3.1).

21

Figure 3.1: Concepts of Place

3.4 Place Experience All places and landscapes are individually experienced, as it is the individuals alone

that see them through the lenses of their attitudes, experiences, and intentions and

from their unique Circumstances (Lowenthal, 1961). Places are differentiated

because they involve a concentration of intentions, attitudes, purposes and

experience. Steele (1981) notes that experience of place can never really be described

as simply a function of its physical attributes.

3.4.1 Types of Place Experience

According to Steele (1981), the types of place experience are:

µ Immediate feelings and thoughts,

µ View of the world,

µ Occupational experience,

µ Intimate knowledge of one spot,

µ Memories and fantasies,

µ Recognition or newness,

µ Personal identification with someone’s “spot”,

µ Sense of accomplishment or blockage caused by the setting,

µ Sense of enjoyment, fun, or displeasure.

22

3.5 Placemaking Placemaking is about making places through ‘reinforcing place characters and place

elements’. Placemaking is aimed to create better settings and functioning spaces for

the intended users, while at the same time sustaining certain identities that belongs to

that particular place. Gunn (1994) explains that placemaking is ‘the retention of the

essence of place, while giving it new physical and psychological meaning’, while

Motloch (1991) emphasizes that placemaking should include the effective

management of order and spontaneity for understanding and exploration.

3.5.1 Criteria for Making Better Settings through Placemaking From the conceptual studies conducted previously, designing a place alone does not

ensure that a place is created (PPS, 2003). Placemaking is an approach that aspires to

create a place that has a strong sense of ‘‘placeness’’ and a comfortable image to its

dwellers as well as outsiders. Additionally, the place shall also perform as a setting

for activities and uses that collectively add up to the character of the place. Place

making in totally is undeniably hard to accomplish as this approach must take into

account the needs of the local community as its priority. These characters then shall

be the elements that attract the tourist to come and experience a place that is new or

different to them, which in return, the lack of sameness may produce a more

memorable and special place experience.

Settings can be enhanced by identifying the lacking in place characters. Place

characters that are present and can be sensed by the users who experience it produce

a better and a more enjoyable place. Steele (1981) has also emphasized on characters

of place that create better settings. These characters are very significantly related

with place experience.

Choices and options –Activities are the basic essential of a place. Without

activities a place will be empty and that generally implies something is wrong.

Offering things to do give people a reason to come to that place and possibly

return again. The variety of activities also gives various alternatives of activities

for tourists with different levels of needs. Choices provide options about how

the place can be used; choice and variety in one’s experience serve a

fundamental human need; richness of a place and give changing experience.

23

Reinforcing patterns and sequence – Settings with sequences of experience

that build on one another are more likely to produce high-quality experience. It

is another type of place character that shall be carefully planned and thought.

The setting itself is able to give the experience of patterns and sequence when

designed with this aim in mind.

Rich material for fantasies and memories – Settings that can trigger off

memories and fantasies will be more likely to provide rich place experience; but

still depending on the users themselves. However, placemaking can help to

refine the memorable experience of tourists through activities that give an

impact to them. This again relates to ‘choices and options’ which is by

providing them with diverse alternatives of activities, depending on the level of

experience that they seek.

A sense of identity – Identity of a place must be maintained as it is what makes a place unique when compared with other major places. Consistent themes to its form, materials, items, arrangements, and symbolism will be more likely to produce positive place experience.

Kevin Lynch (1960) defines the identity of a place is ‘that which provides its individuality or distinction from other places, and serves as the basis for its recognition as a separable entity’. Identity of places varies with the individual, group or consensus image of that place. Boulding (1961) has defined an image as a mental picture that is the product of experiences, attitudes, memories and immediate sensations. Within an individual the combination of experience, emotion, memory, imagination, present situation and intention can be so variable that he can see a particular place in several distinct ways. For example, a street is a very different place to a pedestrian and to a car driver – their experiences and purposes are different, and they attend to different objects and signs. Therefore, the identity of a place varies with the intentions, personalities, and circumstances of those who are experiencing it.

24

Highlighting personal awareness – Personal awareness depends on the consciousness of the tourists themselves. Differences in cultures, or similarities in religion, to name a few examples, may stimulate various perceptions or give new knowledge to individuals. Awareness can be stipulated up not only through formal presentation of information such as in museums or galleries, but also through publications and descriptions of the daily lives of the local people.

Highlighting opportunity – Places with special features that can be easily identified are more likely to attract more use by tourists than the ones that are only known by the insiders of the place. This again relates to providing choices and options, and making known of the different alternatives to the tourists. Stimulate use of special features than the ones that are hidden; visitors can easily know or identify special places that are not only visible and accessible to insiders living in the place.

Active vitality - generated by the patterns of users’ activity; generate visible vitality; create experience for people and one another.

3.6 Tourist Experience

3.6.1 Type of Tourists

According to Thomson (2010) there are three segments of travelers within the

hospitality industry.

First group is the typical business/corporate traveler.

Second group is meeting and group demand that is often related to corporate meetings, SMERFE (Social, Military, Ethnic, Religious, Fraternal, and Educational) events, and local youth sporting groups.

Third group is the leisure segment. Motivated to visit a market based on location attributes, such as beaches, amusement parks, museums, and activities including golf, leisure demand is more often than not perceived as families vacationing together.

However, there is a noteworthy subcategory of the leisure segment that comprises youth travelers. Contrary to family vacationers, youth travelers journey with the intent of exploration. Due to the evolution of telecommunications, social media, and travel infrastructure, destinations abroad have become more accessible and affordable, creating opportunities for today’s youth.

25

3.6.2 Concepts of Tourist Experience

The conceptual developments on tourist experience have been widely researched and

been a key research issue since its early days in the 1960s. This study looks into the

concepts that can directly relate to the concept of place experience.

Hall and Page (1999) also describe tourist experience as the result of the tourist

ability to tolerate behaviour of others; context and pattern of activities, motivation,

expectation, perception, level of use and social situations (see Figure 3.2).

The concepts of tourist experience are identified based on these literatures

MacCannell

(1973)

· An active response to the difficulties in modern life

· Tourists are in search of ‘authentic’ experiences in order to

overcome the difficulties.

Smith

(1978) · A tourist is defined as a temporarily leisured person who visits a

place away from home for the purpose of experiencing change.

Cohen

(1979)

· Tourism experience is the relationship between a person and a

variety of ‘centres’.

· The meaning of the experience is derived from a person’s

worldview, depending on whether the person adheres to a ‘centre’,

which is the individual’s spiritual centre, that the individual

symbolizes ultimate meaning.

Urry

(1992)

· Tourism is the notion of ‘departure’, of a limited breaking with

established routines and practices of everyday life and allowing

one’s senses to engage with a set of stimuli that contrast with the

everyday and the mundane.

26

Table 3.2: Concepts of Tourist Experience

Figure 3.2: Tourist Experience [Source: Hall and page (1999)]

3.6.3 Process of Tourist Experience

As described by Ryan (1997), the tourist experience is influenced by several different

factors, which are:

µ Travelling experience

µ Destination attributes

µ The nature of attractions with individuals or certain groups

µ Individual’s responsive mechanism

µ Personal factors

Ryan

(1991,1997)

· Tourism experience is a multifunctional leisure activity, involving

either entertainment or learning, or both, for an individual.

· The degree of satisfaction gained from the experience relates to: the

expectations of the tourist

· the degree of reality on which those expectations were based

· the ability of the tourist to adapt the perceived realities, and

· the nature of the critical encounter that shaped the reality.

Pine and

Gilmore

(1999)

· Experiences take place whenever a company or a destination

decides to use services as the stage and goods as props to engage an

individual whereby the memory is the most important characteristic

of experiences

27

The character of place is part and parcel of the destination attributes. They are the

elements, both tangible and intangible, that offer the experience to the tourist. The

tourist’s personal factors, on the other hand, influence their beliefs or become the

basis of what is considered important to them, in any aspects. Figure 3.3

demonstrates the place experience process of a tourist which has been adapted from

the tourist experience process (Ryan, 1997).

Figure 3.3: Tourist’s Place Experience Process

28

3.6.4 Tourist Experience in Urban Area

Since Dhaka City Centre is an urban area, it is worth noting the factors to consider in

evaluating the urban tourism experience. Hall and Page (1999) have identified

several of these factors, as listed in Table 3.3.

Table 3.3: Factors to consider in evaluating the urban tourist experience

Source: Hall and Page (1999) modified from Haywood and Muller (1988)

3.7 Model of Attitude Measurement Model of attitude measurement developed by Fishbein (1967) is a tool that can be

used to analyze the relative importance of attitudinal components (Ryan, 1995).

Fishbein states that attitude is made up of two components, which are the evaluative

component and the importance of that belief. Attitude towards a destination can be

presented as the result of strength of evaluative aspects weighted by the strength of

that evaluation present in the destination. The four cells of the Fishbein measurement

of attitude are depicted in the following Figure 3.4.

• The weather conditions at the time of visit

• The standard and quality of accommodation available

• The cleanliness and upkeep of the city

• The city’s aesthetic value (i.e. its setting and beauty)

• The tourists’ personal safety from crime

• Accessibility of attractions and points of interest in the city

• The extent to which local people welcome visitors and the level of helpfulness

• The ability of tourism providers to support the tourists

• The range of cultural and artistic amenities

• The ambience of the city environment as a place to walk around

• The level of crowding and congestion

• The range of nightlife and entertainment available.

• Range of restaurants and eating establishments in the city

• The pleasure of leisure shopping

• The price levels of goods and services in the city

29

Figure 3.4: The Four Cells of the Fishbein’s Measurement of Attitude (Source: Ryan 1995)

3.7.1 Study’s Working Model

Evaluation of previous studies indicate that place experience is one of the elements

of tourist experience. The place characters influence the tourist’s experience as they

are in fact the destination attributes, which is shown previously in the tourist’s place

experience process (Figure 3.3). In the same figure, the personal factors form the

tourist’s belief, conceptions and what is considered important to them, which

according to Fishbein (1967), including what they actually experience, are the

components that make up their attitude, which is a form of their behaviour. The

following working model presents the conceptual framework formulated for this

study (Figure 3.5).

30

Figure 3.5: Placemaking and Tourist’s Place Experience

Tourist

The Place

& Place

Characters

Place Experience

A More Refined

Tourist’s

Importance of belief & expectation

Evaluation of belief

Placemaking

Positive Experience

Enhance Place Characters

Negative Experience

Improve/Augment Place Characters

31

CHAPTER 4: PLACEMAKING AROUND THE WORLD

4.1 Introduction The place-making approach— with a participatory, community-led process— has

proved attractive as a method to build a spirit of civic engagement in Central and

Eastern Europe. At the same time, the United States is incubating another growing

trend that holds great promise for how people across the planet will live in the future.

At the heart of this movement is place making— a set of ideas about creating cities

in ways that result in high-quality spaces where people naturally want to live, work,

and play. This is a bold departure from the prevailing view of new urban

development as a series of disconnected, isolated projects where the only criteria of

success are attracting attention or myopically focusing on economic return.

Place making emphasizes the appealing qualities of a place and then builds on these

qualities to create not only a successful project, but also a successful community

(Kent, 2008). The following examples show just how far reaching these ideas have

become and the ways to create truly great cities in the 21st century that meet the

needs and desires of its people and tourists.

4.2 Paris, France Like American cities, Paris over the course of the 20th century fell victim to the

ever-growing dominance of the automobile. Paris has embarked on a major

campaign to turn the tide. The Greater Paris region’s transportation master plan

pursues a three-pronged goal of reducing car traffic, improving public transit, and

encouraging walking and biking.

Some of the most progressive urban transportation initiatives in the world are being

implemented in Paris led by Bertrand Delanoë, mayor since 2001. Delanoë maintains

that reducing traffic is the most important quality-of-life issue facing the city today.

Bumper-to-bumper congestion, cars parked every which way, buses travelling at a

glacial pace, and perilous conditions for cyclists and pedestrians have tarnished the

traditional beauty and comfort of the City of Light. The idea is that if Paris wants to

32

remain one of the world capitals for business and culture, it must provide a high

quality of life for its residents, workers, and visitors.

To this end, across Paris, sidewalks have been widened, bike lanes created, and trees

planted. A new light-rail line has been constructed around the periphery of the city,

linking a dozen subway and express train lines. Delanoë is also consciously making

it less appealing for people to drive in Paris. The city’s “red axes”— dedicated in the

1980s for high-speed traffic on one-way boulevards with no on-street parking— are

slowly being turned back into narrower, safer, quieter two-way streets with bike

lanes. Several Paris Respire, or “Paris Breathes,” zones have been designated where

driving is not allowed on Sundays or holidays.”Under the ‘Vélib’ program — short

for vélo libre, or “free bike, Paris provides bicycles that people can pick up at many

points around the city, ride to wherever they want to go, and then leave it another

bike loading station. More than 15,000 of the bicycles currently are in service, and

the fleet will have up to 20,000 cycles by the end of the year 2008.

Another example of the city’s approach is the Paris Plage. Every summer, the

expressway on the Right Bank of the Seine is closed to vehicles and transformed into

a public “beach.”While the focus is on children, people of all ages come to the area

to enjoy sunbathing, dance lessons, climbing walls and swimming in temporary

pools. Amenities include beach chairs, cafés, misting fountains, palm trees, and a

branch of the public library located in a small tent. Paris’s unique “beach,” originally

conceived as an alternative for people who could not leave town during the heat of

the summer, has become an innovative public space.

Pic 4.1: Paris Plage, a month-long celebration that creates a beach by the River Seine in Paris.

33

Rue Mouffetard is a remnant of an old Roman Road in Paris. Some buildings date

from the 12th century, and many have distinct histories. In one sense this street

represents the history of Paris. The market fills every morning as people come to do

their daily shopping. Its vitality is reminiscent of a scene from the middle ages. After

the market closes, restaurants open up, offering a wide variety of ethnic foods as well

as traditional French food at cafes and creperies. Colourful images of local produce,

quaint Parisian shops and diverse crowds along with the constant chatter of market

buyers and sellers create a wonderful and long lasting impression. The minimal

vehicle traffic and the presence of shop vendors add to the feeling of safety and

comfort for pedestrians.

Pic 4.2: Rue Mouffetard, Paris- A market in the morning and a leading dining destination later

in the day.

4.3 Camden HighStreet, London, England

Camden Towns throngs with locals, shoppers and tourists, no matter what the time or

day of the week. Full of independent shops and markets, the streets are intertwined

and pedestrian friendly, lined with old unique buildings, each one different from the

next. Each street fosters new and unique experiences. Dozens of train and transit

lines come here, with the main underground tube station right in the centre of things.

There is no dominating age group, race or gender, and if anyone wants to meet

people from every corner of the world in one day, Camedon Town would be the

place to do so.

34

Pic 4.3: Camden High Street, London, England

4.4 Las Ramblas , Barcelona , Spain

A tremendous variety of eateries, shops, markets, and cultural institutions can be

found here, along with a huge number of pedestrians and people-watchers. About 1.5

km long, Las Ramblas is really a sequence of three pedestrian oriented streets. Its

central pedestrian promenade is unique aesthetic quality created by its pleasant

proportions, relative to adjacent development, landscaping and ample seating. With a

mix of activities promotes diverse image and flexible characters, Its seen as

Barcelona’s most important and best street. A huge number of different enterprises

are in operation here-traditional retail, specialised vending, kiosk sales, markets and

exchanges, fairs and exhibition, shoe-shining, eateries, pubs, music and much more.

There are also a number of museums and cultural institutions.

Fig.4.4: Las Ramblas, Barcelona , Spain

35

4.5 Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland

Although world-famous for its upscale shopping, Bahnhofstrasse's real appeal lies in

its pedestrian energy and effortless transit integration.It is Zurich’s most famous and

exclusive retail district. Individual retailers and high end department stores sit side by

side with art galleries, hotels, restaurants, renowned confectionaries and Swiss Bank

Headquartes, all of which draw a diverse crowd of locals and tourists alike. The real

secret behind the commercial success and enduring appeal is the pedestrian, its

seamless integration of different transit modes and the streets hyper accessibility.

Numerous tram lines service the street, most of which interface at either end with

rail, ferry or bus. Private vehicles are prohibited for most of its length, while

signalling and careful paving treatment eases their integration with bicyclists and

pedestrians where permitted. Because of this restricted automobile access, it feels

largely like a comfortable, pedestrian boulevard with the leisurely pace of window

shoppers that stroll its sidewalks.

Pic 4.5: Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland

4.6 Acland, Melbourne, Australia

Acland is known for its sidewalk cafes and superb people-watching. Everyone goes

here to relax and socialize. (PPS, Freda Eisenberg, 2010). Acland street has an

intimate scale that brings pedestrians into close contact with its many cafes and street

musicians, giving it the air of a bustling, linear party, Outdoor tables are prominent,

and are often situated at the edge of the sidewalk, channelling passersby through

cafes rather than around them; in this way pedestrians are integrated into the cafe

36

scene, and are allowed a closer look at the wares displayed in the numerous bakery

windows. Festive touches include a bold, checkerboard patterned sidewalk with

decorative tile insets. It is a place of leisure. People go there to relax, socialize, and

enjoy good food and music. (PPS, Freda Eisenberg, 2010)

Pic 4.6: Acland, Melbourne, Australia

4.7 United Arab Emirates Cities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are quickly becoming some of the most

dynamic, diverse, and successful of tourist destinations in the world. With projects

designed for the upper class including planned space where many residents do not

feel welcomed or comfortable, there is growing recognition that development in the

UAE is not yet being leveraged to create a successful public realm. The lack of great

public spaces and public activity constitutes a major factor limiting social cohesion

and true nation building, but also presents major opportunities. When all residents

are given a say in which amenities become publicly available to them, they begin to

take ownership and pride in their neighbourhood, region, and nation.

Pic 4.7: Plan of Old Town, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

37

The government of Dubai is currently embarking on a multibillion-dollar project to

rejuvenate the city’s Old Town, making it a more welcoming and comfortable

destination for visitors and locals alike.

4.8 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia As a major city, Kuala Lumpur has a developed infrastructure and service sector. The

city offers a wide range of tourist attractions, shopping, entertainment, hotel and

conference facilities. Kuala Lumpur also builds its distinctive image and identity on

its multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society. In Kuala Lumpur Structure

Plan 2020, the city is aimed to be developed as an attractive international destination

while creating a distinctive city identity and image.

Pic 4.8: Bintang Walk, Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur has a wide diversity of resources that are suitable for tourism, each at

varying degrees of development or attractiveness. Tourism products in the City range

from cultural heritage attractions, urban visitor resources, recreational and health

resources. In terms of its architecture, Kuala Lumpur has retained a number of

historic buildings and areas that represents its past, such as Dataran Merdeka and the

Railway Station. Modern additions to the city of buildings like the KL Tower and the

Petronas Twin Towers at the KLCC also provide images of a modern city that is

firmly in touch with its cultural roots.

Shopping, dining and entertainment in Kuala Lumpur are also emerging to become a

price competitive shopping destination with international quality. The City has

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developed many shopping centres including new retail formats such as hypermarkets,

mega malls, duty-free shopping outlets and discount stores. The night markets in

particular are of great interest to tourists as they give an insight into the traditional

Malaysia way of life (KLSP 2020).

Parks and recreational facilities have also been promoted to attract tourists from the

recreational and leisure segments. There are a number of parks in Kuala Lumpur

containing attractions of interest to tourists such as Butterfly Park, Bird Park and

Orchid Garden at Taman Tasik Perdana.

Kuala Lumpur promotes the concept of growth with distribution, physical and social

sustainability, economic justification as well as a fair and efficient government,

provisions of public amenities and good quality of life in the pursuit of a

knowledgeable society.

The vision for ‘Kuala Lumpur - A World Class City’, encapsulates the ambition to

make Kuala Lumpur a city that will assume a major global and sub-global role for

the benefits of all its communities, workers, visitors and investors. The Kuala

Lumpur Structure Plan 2020 (KLSP 2020) emphasizes that the vision and goals of

Kuala Lumpur have been formulated with the aims of creating a sustainable city with

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (KLCH) ensuring that the planning for Kuala Lumpur will

strike a balance between physical, economic, social and environmental development.

Draft Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 (Draft KL City Plan 2020) is KLCH’s primary

planning and development strategy. It is the draft local plan for Kuala Lumpur

prepared under provision of section 13 of Federal Territory (Planning) Act 1982. The

Plan sets out a twelve year plan on what must happen to achieve the vision for the

City of Kuala Lumpur in 2020. This will guide decision makers, city planners,

designers and builders the direction of growth for Kuala Lumpur and lead the City

into a World Class City status.

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‘Kuala Lumpur - A World Class City’ is a commitment that by the year 2020, the

City of Kuala Lumpur will have made many positive changes to the physical

environment without compromising the local environment and its ecology. It also

commits to create a liveable and attractive environment for residents, businesses and

visitors.

The Draft KL City Plan 2020 has adopted a set of strategic directions to realise this

vision and they are centred on the five main goals of the KLSP 2020.

· Goal 1-To enhance the role of Kuala Lumpur as an international commercial

and financial centre.

· Goal 2-To create an efficient and equitable city structure.

· Goal 3-To enhance the city living environment.

· Goal 4-To create a distinctive city identity and image.

· Goal 5-To have efficient and effective governance.

These goals are the framework for Draft KL City Plan 2020, in which its greatest

challenge is the implementation of the goals and policies to achieve environmental,

social and economic development simultaneously; where the improvement of one

shall not be to the detriment of the other.

4.9 Dhaka, Bangladesh Dhanmondi Lake is one of the most important successful breathing public spaces in

Dhaka. The lake side development is providing the locals and city dwellers with

place for cultural gathering, hang outs, foods etc. [ Archsociety, 2010] The lake has

become a well visited tourist spot, with cultural hubs such as the Rabindra-Sarobar

located along its side. [Wikipedia, Dhanmondi Lake]

In 1956, Dhanmondi was developed as a residential area. In the development plan,

about 16% of the total area of Dhanmondi was designated for the lake. This lake was

originally a dead channel of the Karwan Bazar River and was connected to the Turag

River. The lake was connected with the Begunbari Canal.

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In 1998, Dhaka City Corporation commissioned a local architectural firm to re

design the lake and the adjacent area to enhance the social, economic, cultural and

environmental sustainability of this residential neighbourhood. The idea was also to

invite people from other parts of the city so that the lake can be protected from

encroachment by creating a buffer zone in between the allotted residential plots and

the lake and to provide a place of recreation for the urban community of Dhaka city

as a part of an acute demand of the urban dwellers.

Community participation process was applied to address the problem of

encroachment and environmental degradation in Dhanmondi residential area. The

first thing came in to consideration was to decontaminate the lake water, shape up the

water shade area, open it up and make it easy accessible to public. The lake was

made accessible to the public realm by increasing both physical and visual

connectivity between the lake side water front and the neighbourhood. However, the

concept was not appreciated by the client Dhaka City Corporation. The bureaucratic

thinking process in a rapidly urbanizing context suggests that development

Figure 4.1: Dhanmondi Lake Renovation project (2007), Source: DCC

41

projects should be protected by safety fences where public access is restricted. This

orthodox thinking of the client was rejected by the design team finally and continued

to carry on with an open idea of connectivity.

The visibility was ensured by replacing high fences with low green hedges so that the

lake becomes visible from the periphery roads. Physical connectivity was achieved

by insulating walk ways through the periphery of the lake side and also approaching

from the side roads from accessible locations. To make this links sustainable some

passive activities became a pre-requisite along the walk ways (Figure 3).

The scheme looked for some moderate function that will generate less traffic in the

residential area. Functions like food kiosk, drink corner, small restaurants,

community boat club, community health club, open air theatre, children’s play area

were distributed in different visually and strategic locations throughout the

development. The concept was to use these functions as attractor to bring in more

people in the lake side areas. A few large green spaces were selected in strategic

locations with better visibility towards the lake and accessible from within the

neighbourhood. To avoid direct traffic flow from the busy and congested peripheral

roads of the neighbourhood the functions were embedded in more localized areas.

Considering the management aspects of the project and to make it financially self

sustainable, these facilities would generate income and hence could be maintained

modestly by a public private partnership.

Figure 4.2: Dhanmandi lake & lake side developement project

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Figure 4.3: Dhanmondi area and the lake before development (disintegration, physical and

environmental deterioration) – Source: Khan, N. 2008 & Vitti Sthapati Brindo Ltd, Dhaka 1998

4.9.1 Outcome of the restoration project

In reality, the project appears to be a successful model by restoring the lake and

environment of the neighbourhood. It is considered as a paradigmatic strategic urban

project in a developing city like Dhaka. The scheme significantly restores and

manages an urban water front development and incorporates visionary design

strategies to avoid encroachment by the city. An increased connectivity throughout

the spaces in the lake side development scheme, has successfully integrated the

segregated water body and the residential neighbourhood into a continuous whole.

The spatial intelligence of this particular case of placemaking within the city of

Dhaka lies in the creation of a high level of social and spatial interface among people

from different parts of the city.

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Pic 4.9: Public gathering by Dhanmondi lake

Pic 4.10: Identification of successful activity nodes along Dhanmandi lake area to increase the

quality of prevailing urban spaces and later public response in reality - Source : Vitti Sthapati

Brindo Ltd, Dhaka 2008

As the neighbourhood has been made accessible to the public realm through

inclusion of a city scale recreational area, it caused new problems like, traffic

congestion, poor maintenance of the area; hence the chance of farther environmental

deterioration etc. However, these minor issues are causing problem only to the local

people facing the main peripheral access routes of Dhanmondi. In broader aspect, it

is an overwhelmingly successful project by accommodating all class of people from

the global context of the city – within a minimum financial and physical intervention

through the residential neighbourhood.

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Integrated development of Hatirjhil and Begunbari khal is also going to be an

outstanding place for public in coming years. The plans and proposal if comes into

realization it is going to be a magnificent area to enjoy, relax and breath- in.

The discussion above clearly states that Placemaking is a powerful tool for the

community in creating a vision for the future of any particular place. It shows us how

a civic arrangement can enliven a place spontaneously if it allows its occupants to

participate in the total process. If this simple tool of creating a vibrant place is

applied with wisdom to every development and redevelopment project, communities

would certainly look and feel different and function differently than they do now.

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CHAPTER 5: PLACE CHARACTER OF DHAKA

5.1 Introduction

The first section of this chapter briefly discusses about Dhaka City as a place and its

prospect for being a tourist destination. It explores Image and Identity, Spatial

Characteristics and Place Experience in Dhaka. It also examines the availability of

tourism products, attractions, accessibilities and other facilities in different locations

within the city.

5.2 Dhaka City as a Place

Dhaka has an exciting history and rich culture which attracts travellers from far and

near through ages over the world. According to recorded history it was founded in

1608 A.D. as the seat of the imperial Mughal Viceroy of Bengal. Dhaka as the

capital of Bangladesh has grown into a busy city of about 12 million people with an

area of about 1353 sq. km. (Tahmina, 2010). Having a blending of old and new

architectural trends, Dhaka has been developing fast as a modern city and is

throbbing with activities in all spheres of life. It is the centre of industrial,

commercial, cultural, educational and political activities for Bangladesh.

Once upon a time, Dhaka was a very fine city. There were shaded and leafy streets,

boats plied in the heart of the city, the air was cleaner, there was a sense of

community among its citizens, people promenaded on the banks of the river, children

played on open fields, until all those were usurped by the fangs of merciless

urbanisation (Ashraf, 2010).

Pic 5.1: Periphery of Dhaka Pic 5.2: Arial view of Dhaka at present

46

Now the city has already started suffering from the pains of ruthless urbanisation.

Curse of pollution, wretched transport and road system, blatant occupation of land

and waterways, and ravaging of public spaces has made Dhaka to acquire the title of

being one of the most "unliveable cities" of the world.

5.2.1 Image and Identity of Dhaka

Dhaka was once known as the city of Mosque and Muslin, that image of the city now

have been replaced by the three-wheelers called rickshaw. Entire city streets are

filled up with these vehicles. This simple slow contraptions may be a terrible

inconvenience to the fast moving traffic, but they certainly look pretty, almost all of

them are meticulously decorated, which makes them amazing and moving art works

in an urban landscape.

Pic 5.3: Image and Identity of Dhaka city Pic 5.4: Three Wheeler Rickshaw

Other most celebrated landmark structure that represent the identity and image focus

not only Dhaka city but also represent the nations is Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban

(Parliament House), which designed by the famous architect Louis I. Kahn, may be

called an architectural wonder of this region.

National Memorial of Bangladesh is located at Savar and 35 km away from Dhaka

city. It is dedicated to the sacred memory of the millions of unknown martyrs of

1971 War of liberation.

Central Shahid Minar represents a symbol of Bengali nationalism. This monument

was built to commemorate the martyrs of the historic Language movement of 1952.

Lalbagh fort and Ahsan Manjil are two other Landmark within the city.

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5.2.2 Spatial Characteristics of Dhaka

Dhaka city consists of following zoning characteristics-

(i) Old Dhaka

The old Dhaka predominantly was a city of the Mughals. In hundred years of their

vigorous rule successive Governors and princely Viceroys who ruled the province,

adorned it with many noble monuments in the shape of magnificent places, mosques,

tombs, fortifications and 'Katras' often surrounded with beautifully laid out gardens

and pavilions. On the bank of the river Buri-Ganga was the oldest business and

commercial area of Dhaka. But when the city expanded, the main business area

shifted to another area like Motijheel. Dhaka's main waterfront, Sadar-Ghat, is on the

bank of the river Buri-Ganga where all kinds of water transport vehicles from yachts

to steamers connect the capital with the rest of the country through the network of

rivers. In old Dhaka Ahsan Manzil, which was home of the Nawab of Dhaka is a

valuable example of cultural heritage of Bangladesh. As Ahsan Manzil, Lalbag Fort

are monuments of immense historical beauty, most of the tourists are advised to visit

them when they arrive in Dhaka.

Pic 5.5: Narrow Street and rickshaw in old Dhaka

(ii) Dhaka University Area

It is in the junction point of Old And new Dhaka. Prestigious education institutes like

Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka

Medical College, Institute of Fine Arts are located in this area.

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Fig 5.1: Location of important features in old Dhaka

(iii) Cantonment Area

The Cantonment is located on the north-east end of the Dhaka metropolis. The

headquarters of Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force are situated within this

cantonment. It holds a big part of the city.

(iv) Sher -e -Bangla Nagar

It is the central administrative area that holds the National Parliament building, Gano

Bhaban (Prime ministers’ residence) and other administrative offices in Agargaon.

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(v) Planned Residential Area

Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Banani,Mirpur, Baridhara and Uttara are the planned

residential areas which are the place of higher income people of the city. Most of the

diplomatic offices and houses are built in Baridhara, Banani and Gulshan. Exclusive

Clubs, restaurants, hotels, guest house are located in this area. The international air-

port of Dhaka is placed in Uttara.

(vi) CBD (Central Business District Area)

Motijheel is central business district area (CBD) and commercial centre of Dhaka

city. It always vibrates with commercial activities during weekdays. Now a day’s

business areas are spreading to other areas of the city like Dhanmondi, Gulshan,

Banani and Uttara.

(vii) Industrial area

The main industrial area of Dhaka city is Tejgaon. Besides, various types of

industries are also developed around the core city of Dhaka such as Narayanganj,

Savar, Tongi, Jinjira, Amin Bazar, Gazipur have various heavy and light industries.

The major and mentionable companies of Bangladesh have their factories in these

areas.

(viii) Unplanned Area

Purana Paltan, Kathal Bagan, Shegun Bagicha, Moghbazar, Eskaton, Mirpur and

most of the new city is unplanned. Most common characteristics of these areas are

high density of population in certain locations, lack of open space, traffic congestion,

poor quality of infrastructure and facilities. Especially, the current trend of

redevelopment in inner city areas with higher density has created severe pressure on

infrastructure and civic amenities because most of these development projects are

taking place without considering the overall neighborhood context.

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5.2.3 Place Experience in Dhaka

Steele (1981) has emphasized on characters of place that create better settings for

placemaking. Following these characters place experience in Dhaka are discussed

here.

In Old Dhaka streets represent the past of Dhaka, some buildings have distinct

histories. The market of Chawk Bazar fills every morning as people come to do their

daily shopping. Its vitality is something different from the other part of Dhaka. The

restaurants open up early in the morning, offering a wide variety of ethnic foods as

well as traditional mughlai food. Colourful images of diverse crowds along with the

constant chatter of market buyers and sellers create a wonderful and long lasting

impression. People around the area are used to with the traffic congestion created by

co-existence of vehicle of different speed on the same narrow street. There are places

in old Dhaka where the restaurants are open up to dawn.

The old town always throngs with locals, shoppers and sellers. Shops and markets

stuck with each other, the streets are narrow and full of huge number of pedestrian

and vehicles, lined with old buildings, each one different from the next. Each street

fosters new and unique experiences, always vibrant as it is the centre of wholesale

market within the city. Tremendous varieties of eateries, shops, markets, and cultural

institutions can be found here. Different enterprises are in operation here-traditional

retail, specialised vending, kiosk sales, markets, shoe-shining, eateries and much

more. With a mix of activities promotes diverse image and flexible characters, its

seen as Dhaka’s most important and unique part. There are also a number of mosques

and cultural institutions.

Pic 5.6: Street Food of Old Dhaka in Iftar time Pic 5.7: Delicious “Biriyani” of Old Dhaka

51

The university area acts as a gathering place for locals and visitors who appreciate

the beautiful architecture, trees, benches, sculptures and an incredible vista. The area

is really impressive: the architecture is historic and harmonious; Matured trees make

a shady canopy; a wide walkway follows along a spectacular view; old fashioned

street lights line the street. The parks around are favourite place to walk or jog on a

sunny day to enjoy a breath-taking looking out at the Historical charm and great

views make this place one of Dhaka gems.

Dhanmondi is known for its sidewalk cafes and easy to reach shopping malls,

everything within reach. Rabindra Sharovar is a place of leisure, where people

gather, relax and socialize. It holds event all the year round. Dhanmondi has an

intimate scale that brings people into close contact with its many cafes and street

hawkers, shopping mall; boutique houses integrate the visitors into the total scene. The real appeal of Gulshan and Banani areas lies in its upscale shopping and as the

high class residential area. It is Dhaka’s most famous and exclusive retail district.

Individual retailers and high end department stores sit side by side with art galleries,

hotels, restaurants, renowned confectionaries and Banks, all of which draw a diverse

crowd of locals and tourists alike. The real secret behind the commercial success and

enduring appeal is the hyper accessibility of the streets. Because of the easy

automobile access, it feels comfortable for the window shoppers to shop around.

● Choices and options

There are many options of activities and places to visit in Dhaka city. Old and new

architectural structure, Bengali cultural heritage, cheap shopping, local cuisine,

traditional handicrafts, seasonal festivals, scenic beauty, hospitality of people are

considerable.

Dhaka has wide diversity of resources that are suitable for tourism, each at varying

degrees of development or attractiveness. Tourism products in the City range from

cultural heritage attractions, urban visitor resources, recreational and health

resources. In terms of its architecture, Dhaka has retained a number of historic

buildings and areas that represents its past like Lalbagh Fort and Ahsan Manzil.

52

Modern additions to the city of buildings like the National Parliament Building and

the Novotheatre at the Bijoy Sharoni provide images of a modern city that is firmly

in touch with its cultural roots.

Shopping, dining and entertainment in Dhaka are also emerging. Its handicraft,

garments item are outstanding in its price and quality. South Asia's largest shopping

Mall Jamuna Future Park serves both foreign and local people which are very much

international in standard. Aarong, a wonderful handicraft shop having branches all

over Dhaka, Gulshan antique shop, Gulshan pearl market, Gold market in Baitul

Mukarram, Chadni chawk, Skharibazar, Mirpur Benarosi palli and Jamdani shari

market etc. are the options for the visitors who search traditional products of

Bangladesh for shopping.

There are a number of parks in Dhaka attractions of interest to tourists such as

Botanical Garden, Baldha Garden, Ramna, Sahrowardi, Usmani and Chandrima

uddayan are special to notice.

Theme parks are built apart from the city that attracts adventure lovers, especially

children. There are few children park that are successfull naming shishu park at

shahbag,Wonderland in Gulshan and Shishumela at shyamali.

Visitors who search for arts and crafts have the opportunity to stopover at the

galleries available, cultural craft complex and Museums. Wooden markets with

extraordinary furniture’s are also available in furniture market at Mirpur and

Shahjahanpur. Pottery and clay products are available in front of Savar National

Memorial and various chain shops in Dhaka.

Dhaka’s offering are not limited to heritage visitors and avid shoppers, but also for

gastronomic fans who wish to treat their appetite with fine dinning of international

and local cuisines, or even dishes from the local hawker stalls. There are so many

options to meet the appetite. Moglai food like biriani, tehari, kacchi, borhani are

available in various restaurants like Fakruddin biriani, Hazi Nannas Biriani and other

53

shops in whole Dhaka, especially in old Dhaka. Other traditional foods of Dhaka are

like halim, nun, Bakorkhani etc. At a time, various international standard chain

restaurants and coffee shop are available mostly in Banani, Gulshan and Dhanmondi

area.

Seasonally, there are some special occasion’s holds in Dhaka such as Pohela

Baishakh, Pohela Falgun, Bijoy dibosh (16th December), Independence day (26th

March), Shahid dibosh (21st February) which can give tourist a different taste about

Bangladeshi culture. Theatres, puppet show, jatra, pala, mela etc can also add flavour

to the total experiences. So, there exists a great range of choices and options to

experience in Dhaka city.

● Reinforcing patterns and sequence

The range of experiences that visitors can gain from visiting Dhaka is never ending,

provided that they are aware of opportunities available. As mentioned in the point

above, there are many options and choices available for various segments of visitors

and tourists and others. However, these different experiences are spread around

different locations in Dhaka, not in an organized manner. Thus the continuity of

experiences and activities would be at variance among people. The connectivity of

experiences one after another would depend on the planned route or sightseeing

packages that they take. A deliberately planned package tour by tour operators can

still establish patterns and sequence within the city.

● Rich material for fantasies and memories

Fantasies and memories are triggered by rich settings that can give a positive impact

to the visitors’ minds. In the context of Dhaka City, it’s most famous landmark; the

National Assembly Complex and The National Memorial. Rickshaws are relied upon

for transport and livelihood for a great number of people. For casual tourist, they can

provide hours of pleasure as they jingle their way through the capital. One can enjoy

scenic beauty of Dhaka through a pleasure walk along Mintu Road, Buriganga river,

Parliament house, Mirpur and Asulia Beribadh and also within Ramna park. Cheap

shopping, colourful festivals, Local arts and crafts, traditional song, theatre, puppet

show, programme as well as food of Dhaka can also be considered as rich materials

54

for fantasies and memories of a tourist. However, further recollection of visit to the

city would undoubtedly depend on the users and how they themselves filter as to

what is to be remembered through their level of experiences.

● Highlight personal awareness

There are several attractions present in Dhaka City that is expected to highlight the

knowledge and awareness, which gives us Bengali nationalism and represent the

nation’s history. The National Memorial represents the memory of martyrs of the war

of independence in 1971.

Pic 5.8: Dhaka Central Shahid Minar Pic 5.9: The National Memorial

Central Shahid Minar was built to commemorate the martyrs of the historic

Language movement of 1952. Hundreds and thousands of people with floral wreaths

and bouquet gather on 21st February every year to pay respect to the martyrs from

midnight.

Beside these visitors might visit the national museum, galleries and exhibition

centres which also represent Bengali nationalism. Even so, awareness and knowledge

still rely on the level of responsiveness and consciousness of the users.

● Highlighting opportunity

As Dhaka City is very much well known as the capital city of Bangladesh, a great

deal of promotions, particularly by Tourism industry, has also increased the

reputation of many special features in the city. Its landmarks can clearly be

identified; its shopping venues are easily recognized by foreigners and locals. These

highlights are primarily contributed by publications in website and overseas of

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Bangladeshi diplomatic office. On the occasion of world cup cricket, the year 2011 is

being observed as tourism year to build a positive image of country's tourism sector.

The government is preparing a five-year (2009-2014) plan for that purpose. Actually,

there are so many scopes to attract tourists by providing them extra ordinary

experience cause there exist a large amount of cultural, traditional and natural

resources.

Shopping facility of various exclusive products in relatively lower price is also a

great opportunity for attracting tourists. If these opportunities can be organized and

used efficiently then it will be helpful for earning foreign currency by attracting

foreign tourists and also meet urban recreational need of city dwellers. There are so

many architectural, cultural and historical sites within Dhaka which can be utilized

for creating new opportunities to enhance the place character of the city.

● Active vitality

The liveliness of Dhaka can be seen from the daily activities that take place around

the city. Very rich to very poor people co-exists parallel in this city. Dhaka is core

area of Bangladesh and peoples here are always busy with business and commercial

activities. There are procession of vehicles in the streets includes valuable ones to

auto rickshaw. Additionally, the urban open space such as Rabindra sorobor, Shahid

Minar, Ramna Park, Sohrawardi uddan frequently hold events, festivals and carnivals

which increase the viability of the city. Various fairs and exhibition are held in those

areas like Baishakhi mela, Ekushe boi mela in Bangla Academy, Tat fair, fruits fair

etc.

5.3 Tourism Products of Dhaka

Bangladesh is indeed a shoppers' paradise with a rich tradition in handicrafts at throw

away prices. While muslin of ancient Dhaka has gone into history, other products

such as contemporary paintings, wood works, shital pati, bamboo decoration pieces,

cane and conch shell products, wooden extra-ordinary furniture’s, gold and silver

ornament, cotton, silk, gold, silver, jute, reed, brassware, traditional dolls, ceramic

wear and leather goods also receive deep appreciation of arts and crafts lovers. In

56

addition, Bangladesh is famous for pink pearl which is available in many handicraft

stores, with some dedicated outlets in Gulshan.

The prominent shops in Dhaka, which offer this products are Aarong, Sopura Silk,

Benarasi Palli, Gulshan Antique market, Mirpur Jamdani market and local boutiques

etc. For cheap shopping, Bangabazar and Dhanmondi hawkers markets are the

pioneer one.

Other attractions in and around Dhaka include the Institute of Arts and Crafts with its

representative collection of folk art and paintings, Art galleries, handicraft shops,

cruising by country boat in the nearby river or a visit to a village to experience jute

cultivation, weaving and pottery making. Last but not the least travel by a horse

driven cart in old Dhaka or rickshaw along busy Dhaka streets is a rewarding

experience.

5.4 Tourist Experience in Dhaka

Hall and page (1999) have identified several factors to evaluate the urban tourism

experience. These factors are discussed below in the context of Dhaka city as an

urban area.

● Standard and quality of accommodation available

In Dhaka, a few luxury hotels cater for the business guests and tourists who come

from around the world. There are the traditional ‘local’ hotels which provide a bed, a

bathroom and nothing much else. Some of these are clean and cheap and they can be

an acceptable low-cost alternative for those who find themselves off the beaten track.

Price is probably the best guide to the standard of service provided in the Hotel.

The hotel “Dhaka Sheraton” close to green Ramna Park is suitable for those who

interested in a stroll through tropical vegetation or a ride on the boating lake.

Sahrawardi Park, where the Bangladeshi Declaration of Independence took place and

Dhaka University are also within walking distance. There are good shopping

opportunities in New Market, Bangabazar, and Elephant Road that one can reach by

rickshaw.

57

Some extortionately expensive hotels with good restaurants and excellent service are

Pan Pacific Sonargaon, The Westin, Dhaka Sheraton, Radisson Water Garden Hotel

etc. all of them have bars and other exclusive services. There are also some newly

built modern hotels with facilities including a gym, lounge, restaurant, snooker room

and an on site beauty salon. Some of them La Meridian, La Mer Grand Prince Hotel,

Hotel de Crystal Garden, Grand Azad Hotel, Lake Shore Hotel, Hotel Sarina, Hotel

Orchard Plaza etc.

● Cleanliness and upkeep of the city

Dhaka is already found very short in providing even basic amenities to its residents

such as adequate and clean water, sufficient power and efficient systems for mass

transportation and satisfying of aesthetic needs. Interrupted Power and water supply

is common in this city. As a result people have to go through immense suffering in

daily life. Condition of Dhaka city footpath is not good because of hawkers and

ticket counter of buses. As a result, pedestrians are often forced to walk in road.

Daily garbage of this city is not removed regularly in a planned way. As a result it

seems bad and create odour. Almost every month roads of Dhaka are excavate by

various service agencies. So, water logging is a common problem here which is a

prime reason of road accident also. Street trees and street lights are not maintained

properly. Roads and over bridges are not safe in night due to lack of safety concern.

In Dhaka air quality has been deteriorating for a longtime. Ambient air quality in the

city is poor because of auto exhaust especially from old, dilapidated diesel

buses/trucks, road and soil dust, emission from about 3000 brickfields surrounding

the city and dust from the construction boom. But recently Dhaka City Corporation

take some efficient steps such as mobilization of resources to build all kinds of

infrastructures and much expand basic utility services to cope with the needs of the

city's fast rising population.

● The City’s aesthetic value

The city of Dhaka has lush greenery, open spaces and scenic canals. Aesthetic value

of Dhaka city is always in a rich form. One can enjoy sightseeing spots and ancient

buildings which are really have a different taste. By dotted of ponds, numerous

58

waterways and spacious parks Dhaka drew tourists. Densely populated and humming

with activity at all hours, Dhaka is a city of contrasts between old and new, rich and

poor, industry and folk. From the concrete National Parliament House and ultra

modern Bashundhara City, the largest shopping mall in South Asia, to the 17th

Century Lalbagh Fort and the open markets along the city's side streets, these

contrasts vividly shape the city. One may visit the many mosques, temples and

museums for a taste of Bengali culture and history. The views of old Dhaka one can

be enjoyed with water front of Buriganga. At a time one may enjoy nature of Dhaka

through a walk along Ramna park or the tree shaded road beside the National

Parliament.

● Accessibility of attractions and points of interest in the city

Rickshaw is the most popular form of transport and good for short distances mainly

on side streets. Auto-rickshaws which are also known as ‘CNG’ and have meters, are

the cheapest way to cover longer distances. Taxi also plies the roads, some yellow

and some black, all with meters.

Public transport system is not very updated. Shortage of mass transit in important

route made the situation worse. There is no monorail or LRT within the city. Public

buses are only means of public transport. Most of them are old and not properly

maintained and without air conditioning system. Only a few number of AC bus is

running within the city.

● Extent to which local people welcomes visitors in a warm manner

Bangladeshi people are renowned for their hospitality. People are helpful to

foreigners but sometimes they make gathering around foreigners out of curiosity. In

Bangladesh, foreigner will not feel any inconvenience due to language problem as

English is popular here and basic English is known almost to every people.

● Range of cultural and artistic amenities

The Bengal region has a multifaceted folk heritage, enriched by its ancient animist,

Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim roots. Weaving, pottery and terra-cotta sculpture are

59

some of the earliest forms of artistic expression. The best known literature of

Bangladesh is the work of the great Bengali poets Rabindranath Tagore and Nazrul

Islam. Folk theatre, pappet show, jatra, usually takes place during various fair, such

as baishakhi mela. Muslim culture and culture of old Dhaka is so enriched. Art,

music, folk song all these are cultural asset of Dhaka. The various tribal indigenous

cultures have been largely undisturbed by foreign or 'modern' influences and provide

a unique opportunity to experience.

● Ambience of the city environment as a place to walk around

Some part of Dhaka is so attractive for walks to enjoy aesthetic beauty and nature

within the city and discover the co-existence of poverty and wealth at a time. The

beauty of Bangladeshi rivers and soothing breeze can be enjoyed from the walk

along Buriganga river, asulia and mirpur beribadh. Walking around Ramna park,

Sharawardi uddan, Dhaka university area, Old Dhaka, National Parliament building

is also enjoyable because it might give a total conception about the city as a whole.

Dhanmondi Lake is the best place for walking in whole Dhaka city. First of all, it is a

very big place which takes more than 30 minutes to walk from one end to the other.

It is an excellent place for walk in afternoon. There are shading trees in all the parts

and it is never very hot.

But the pathetic thing is that the footpaths around Dhaka are not always clean. They

are not properly maintained. It is simply impossible to walk through the city

pavement or footpath with a baby stroller or wheel chair as they are not continuous

and full of garbage and loose bricks or stone somewhere encroached by hawkers and

most of the footpaths are broken and full of obstacles.

Pic 5.10: FootPath full of Garbage

60

● The level of crowding and congestion

Dhaka is one of the most crowded cities in the world, with millions of people

crammed into a small area. Because of its massive population, Dhaka does suffer

from problems like crowding, congestion and pollution. In the absence of designated

terminals for rickshaws and taxis, the available road space is increasingly shrinking

at an alarming rate. Rickshaws are a major cause of severe congestion in the city. In

the morning and evening before and after office hour’s city people faces terrible

traffic jam. School break time in the afternoon also creates congestion due to a large

number of private cars. Nevertheless, it is undergoing some projects to modernize its

transportation system and general infrastructure. Hopefully the situation will improve

in near future.

● The range of nightlife and entertainment available

Bangladeshi nightlife is nearly non-existent. Being a Muslim country, alcohol is

frowned upon and found mostly in the international clubs and pricier restaurants in

Dhaka. Some of the nicest hotels in the cities have fully equipped bars and disco with

exaggerated prices. There is a party network between the different clubs (Dutch

Club, Canadian Club, Scandinavian Club, International Club, American Club, etc.)

and some Bangladeshi clubs (Heritage, Privilege, etc.). These clubs usually require

membership to enter.

Although alcohol is most easily available at the international clubs and top hotels,

there are quite a few local places to find a drink for the enterprising traveller. Local

bars are to be found in most neighbourhoods but are difficult to locate due to lack of

advertising. Popular brands of beer and major types of liquor are available at these

places, and at much lower prices than at hotel bars. There is a duty paid shop in

Moakhali which is only permitted to sell alcohol to passport-bearing foreigners or

their drivers who bring their passports in when they purchase. In some special

occasions like thirty-first nights, some hotels arrange DJ party and also other

programmes which are very colourful.

61

● Range of restaurants and eating establishments in the city

Dhaka has an enormous variety of food catering to all budgets. Old Dhaka is

overflowing with cheap Bangladeshi food where a meal can be had from Tk 50

($0.70), while in the upscale neighbourhoods like Gulshan and Banani one can find

just about any type of cuisine like Chinese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Greek,

Mexican, and franchises such as Pizza Hut, KFC etc. Reservations are usually not

required in most restaurants.

Local sweets (misti/mishti) like rasgullah and sandesh are excellent. Biryani

restaurants are crammed throughout the narrow alleys and along the main streets in

old and center Dhaka. Haji Biryani is one of them. It revels in its eccentric reputation

for opening only at certain times and only cooking a certain amount (well below

demand)

Hajir Biryani, Fakhruddin Biryani ,Bismillah Kabab, Kasturi, Gharoa, Dhanshiri etc

are exclusively famous for Bangladeshi traditional foods as well as for Muglai foods

also. Star Hotel & Retaurant at Dhanmondi, Banani and old Dhaka is also famous for

its Kabab and Biriani. Coopers situated in Kalabagan, Bijoy Sharani, Gulshan and

Uttara is also very famous for cakes and fast food. Famous world standard chain

restaurant Nando,s, Pizza Hut, KFC have there branch in Gulshan, Dhanmondi and

uttara.

During Ramadan the city transforms into a dining paradise having Iftar stalls all

around. Especially in Chawkbazar the road become traffic free food street and

thousands type of foods are sold by the hawkers. And of course it’s vital to the

culture of Dhaka.

Hawkers selling fuchka and chatpati are very popular to the people, besides this

seasonal fruits, nuts, popcorn are sold everywhere. But it’s not advisable to have

street food all the time. Small restaurants or mostly crowed shops are even safer for

food. And in Dhaka, don’t even try to drink water on the street.

62

● Pleasurability of leisure shopping

Bargaining is popular in the bazars and markets of Dhaka. For hassle free shopping

one may head to Bashundhara City or Jamuna Future Park. Banga (or Bango) Bazar,

is a block west of the Gulistan bus station on Kamruzzaman Sharani Street at the

edge of Old Dhaka. There are thousands of small stalls intersected by narrow

walkways which are often jammed with people. The quality varies widely but the

prices are cheap.

Another shopping place is New Market on Mirpur Road in Dhanmondi, just west of

Dhaka University. This is the largest market in the city and it has more class, more

room and just as much choice. As well as clothing, there is leather, linen, jewellery,

household goods, CDs and DVDs and so on. It is normally closed on Tuesdays.

Aarong is a well known chain with several outlets around Dhaka and one in London.

It is owned by BRAC (a large NGO). One may also visit other shops to be introduced

with traditional goods of Bangladesh. Some of them are Kay crafts, Noborupa,

Nabila’s, Onjon’s, Deshals, Rang, Banglar Mela etc. Ten Showrooms of these types

of shops one can also found together in one floor of named “Deshi Dosh”. One may

also find gold, metal; silver and pearl produce exclusive ornaments and jewellery

products in various markets of Dhaka in a reasonable price.

● Price levels of goods and services in the city

In Dhaka a tourist can find various services easily at a cheaper cost. Transport cost,

accommodation cost, medical cost, cost of eating and shopping are so cheap here

comparing other countries of the world. Quality handicrafts are available here at a

lower price. Emergency services are also available. Bangladesh is well known to the

foreigners as a place of cheap shopping. But there are lacks of brand shops but in

present some world brand shops are trying to introduce their outlets in Dhaka.

So, here we get a clear picture of the urban tourist experience in Dhaka. This factors

will help us to create an actual evaluation of the city as a tourist attraction place.

63

CHAPTER 6: DATA ANALYSIS

6.1 Introduction

This chapter is analyzed all the information collected from three types of survey to

fulfill the objectives of the study. Among the three sections of this chapter the first

one discusses about the findings of survey on tour operators and examines the tourist

routes. Then, the Second section presents the results of survey on city dwellers

specifically about their choices of options, how they spend their leisure, range of

options, facilities, recommendations etc. The next section analyzes tourists’ place

experience evaluation by using Model of Attitude Measurement (MAM) to identify

the gaps between expectation and experience. It also presents the analysis of tourist

demands, which include the respondent’s profile and trip characteristics.

It is found that the popular places are not same to the both segment of visitors. Tour

operators of Dhaka are also interviewed to explore the most popular tourist route

within the city. This effort is to locate the places where public gathers most and

require maximum attention for its refinement through Placemaking.

The results and discussion are supported by table, chart and diagram formats. The

survey has been conducted during the months from April to October’10 at Dhaka. A

total of 210 survey forms that have been returned back are valid and fully completed,

and thus can be used for analysis. Prior to the final survey, a pilot test has been

conducted to gather feedbacks regarding the clarity of the questions asked, the

variables measured in the questionnaire and the application of MAM in analyzing the

gathered data.

6.2 Survey on Tour Operators A total number of 121 tour operators are running operation under the membership of

TOAB (Tour operators association of Bangladesh). Among them a number of 10

active tour operators are interviewed to gather some important information which

presents here.

64

6.2.1 Most Popular Tourist Route in Dhaka

Most popular tourist routes in Dhaka are almost similar according to all the tour

operators. Usually in a half day tour, the route starts from National Museum at

Shahbag, and goes through High court building, Dhaka University Campus specially

Karjon Hall, Aparajeyo Bangla monument and Shahid minar towards the old part of

Dhaka like Lalbagh Fort, Tara Mosque, Armenian Church, Shakharibazar, Ahsan

Manzil and other spots. Then the route turns to Liberation war Museum and National

Parliament Building in new Dhaka and ends at Lalmatia Aarong, the famous local

craft chain shop. An extended day long tour takes the tourists either to Savar National

Memorial or Panam Nagar in Sonargaon.

Figure 6.1: Location of Major Tourist Spots & Most popular Tourist Route in Dhaka

(Source: Field Survey 2010)

65

6.2.2 Popular Places for Tourist in Dhaka

According to the tour operators popular places for tourist are almost same. Those

places are Lal Bagh Fort, Old Dhaka, Shahid Minar memorial, Ahsan Manjil,

Dhakesshari mondir, Armeniun Church, Baitul Mukarram Mosque, National

Museum, Liberation War Museum, Dhaka University, National Poet's Graveyard,

Suhrawardy Uddyaan, National Leader Mausoleum, Shadhinota Stambha, Curzon

Hall, Old High Court, National Parliament Building, Sonargaon and Savar National

Memorial, etc. Except this, tourists have some definite choice about shopping and

eating.

● Shopping

For shopping, tourists mainly go to Basundhara city, Jamuna Future Park,

Bangabazar, Dhanmondi Hawkers Market, New Market, Benarasi polli, Gulshan

Antique Market, Shimanto Square, different branches of Aarong and Deshi Dosh etc.

Besides these, tourists like to go some popular brand shops like Westecs, Cats Eye,

Yellow, Sailor, Artisan, Ecstasy, Onnomela, Anjan's, Jatra, Tangail sharee ghar etc.

● Eating

Tourists mostly prefer restaurants of Banani, Gulshan and Uttara area near their

accommodation, working place or shopping area. In busy time, they prefer fast food

shops like KFC, BFC, Helvetia, coopers, Baker’s etc. Foreign tourists like buffet for

lunch and dinner as they can choice from a range of options. Buffets are available at

most of the hotels where they stay. Other that, Button Rouge, Topkapi, Chilis,

Xinxian, Nandos, Pizza Hut, Abacus, Aristocrate, Koyla, Boomers, these places are

preferred by tourists. Sometimes, they like to taste some special Bangladeshi cuisine

and for that they choose Fakruddin Biriyani, Star Kabab, Nawab Chatgao, Mezban

Bari, Korai Gost, Chittagong express etc.

66

Figure 6.2: Location of Most Visited Shopping Centre in Dhaka City

(Source: Field Survey 2010)

67

Figure 6.3: Location of Tourist Preferred Places for Dining in Dhaka City

(Source: Field Survey 2010)

68

6.2.3 Tourist Demographics according to the Tour Operators

● Country of Origin

According to the tour operators maximum tourists in Bangladesh come from China,

Thailand, Taiwan, America, Japan, Australia, India and all over Europe like Germany,

Netherlands, , France, Italy, United Kingdom, Russia, Norway etc.

● Age

Tour operators say that, almost 60% of the tourists are above the age group of 45 year.

Another young travelers group are consists of 20-29 age limit that mainly comes for

academic visits.

● Gender

According to the majority (70%) of the tour operators, the male-female ratio among

the tourists is 70%-30%. To others it differs from 60%-40% to 50%-50%.

● Education

Maximum tourists are with a high educational background and others are students.

● Occupation

Most of the tourists are Business executives (40%), retired persons (30%), teachers or

lecturers (10%), students (10%) and others (10%).

● Purpose of Visit

Maximum tourists come here for Business purposes (40%), NGO activities (10%),

and student for academic visits (10%), Transit tourists (15%) and others (25%).

● Party composition

45% of tourist comes here as single, 15% visit as couple, 20% are in a group of 3 to 7

persons, 15% are in a group of 8 to 15 person and others visit Bangladesh in a large

group of 15 to 20 people together.

● Length of Stay or Service

Some tourist spends a week or less than a week. Others spend ten days or maximum

one month in Dhaka.

● Mode of Transportation

In Dhaka tourist mostly use rented car. Beside this they also use Taxi cab and Tour

bus provided by the tour operators.

69

● Accommodation:

Tourist who comes for business usually stays at renowned hotels, specially, five stars

or 3 star hotels like Hotel Sheraton, Pan pacific Sonargaon, La Meridian, Hotel

Regency, Hotel Lake Shore, Hotel Sharina and guest houses in Uttara, Banani and

Gulshan area.

● Prior Experience in Dhaka

Maximum genuine tourists have no previous experience in Dhaka. Businessmen

usually have several visits in Dhaka.

6.2.4 Safety Measures Taken by the Operators

Most of the tour operators cannot give satisfactory answer about safety measures.

Two operators said that they inform the local thana in case of large group.

6.2.5 Number of English Speaking Guide

In every tour operators there are a few numbers of English speaking guides. They

have guides speaking other languages as well. They are called upon requirement.

6.2.6 Recommendations of Tour Operators

Ø Proper advertising and marketing effort should be taken

Ø Each tourist spot should have Government appointed guide and securities.

Ø Cleanliness of whole Dhaka should be ensured.

Ø Proper Communication system should be developed, Traffic congestions

should be handled immediately by taking prompt action.

Ø Economy generating activities should be taken.

Ø Historical Buildings require proper conservation.

Ø Public amenities like clean Public toilet at important places and regular

disposal of garbage within the city should be ensured.

Ø Cordial behavior with tourists also should be ensured rather than putting a

curious look at them.

Ø Proper signage towards the point of interest is required

6.3 Survey on City Dwellers: In order to find out the Placemaking strategy of Dhaka city it is important to trace out

the existing recreational facilities and places for the city dwellers. Besides, it is also

important to know the activity pattern of them in leisure time, transportation mode to

get around the city and obviously their expectation and recommendation to make the

70

Age Group of respondents

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

below20 years

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 above60Age Goup of Respondents

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Pecentage

city an attractive one to spend the leisure time. In this regard, 100 city dwellers are

surveyed with a questionnaire which includes both open and close ended questions.

6.3.1 Profile of the Interviewers

100 city dwellers are randomly interviewed in this study and they are chosen from

different leisure activity spots of Dhaka city like shopping malls, cafes, restaurants,

sightseeing sights, parks and so on. Both male and female persons are interviewed and

they represent different age groups. A short description of the interviewers is given

below.

Gender:

Among 100 respondents of Dhaka city there are only 22 female persons. As a result

choices and problems of female persons are not represented here sturdily.

Age:

The age of the respondents are divided

into several age groups of below 20 years,

20-29 years, 30-39 years, 40-49 years, 50-

59 years and above 60 years age. Almost

68% respondents are from age group of

20-29 years. Figure 6.4: Age Group of Respondents

(Source: Field Survey 2010) Educational Qualification:

Maximum respondents 72% have bachelor or higher educational degree. 23% of them

have secondary certificate and another 5% have diploma degree.

Occupation:

The following pie chart shows that most of the respondents are mainly self employed

and engage with business. Others are student, housewife, executive, professional

persons, retired and others.

Figure 6.5: Occupation of Respondents (Source: Field Survey 2010)

Occupation of Respondents

18%

24%

5%21%

17%

8% 3% 4%

StudentSelf EmployedHousewifeBusinessmanExecutive/ ManagerialProfessionalRetiredOthers

71

Living Places of Respondents:

An attempt to select respondents from various part of Dhaka was given importance

during the time of survey. As a result, inhabitants interviewed are from kallyanpur,

Motijheel, Baily Road, Mirpur, Farmgate, Kolabagan, Kamrangirchar, Shahbag,

Jatrabari, Lalmatia, Green road, Segunbagicha, Palton, Mohammadpur, Kamalapur,

Moghbazar, Dhaka University campus, Khilgaon, Mohakhali, Uttara, Malibagh,

Rampura, Banasree, Gulshan, Wari, Basndhara, Lalbagn, Dhanmondi and Banani

area.

6.3.2 Leisure Activity of the City Dwellers

Maximum people in Dhaka city think that there are not enough facilities to spend

quality leisure time within the city. Usually they go out for shopping or dining out at

free time or spend that time by visiting friends and relatives. Sometimes they go to

enjoy cultural programs or stay in house. Figure 6.6 represents an overall idea

regarding the activity patterns of city dwellers in leisure time.

Figure 6.6: Activities of city dwellers during leisure time

(Source: Field Survey 2010)

6.3.3 Mode of Transport Getting around Dhaka City

A major portion of the respondents (37%) use public transport like bus. Another 25%

of them use their own private car. 13% respondents say that they prefer to walk.

Remaining others 16% and 9% interviewers are use rented services and tour bus or

coaches respectively to get around Dhaka. Following chart presents the statistics find

out by the survey.

Activities of city dwellers during leisure time

23%

22%

4%31%

27%

2%9%

Visits friends / relatives Stay in house Dines out at restaurantShoppingGo out of the cityJoin cultural events go out of the countryWander around the city

72

Figure 6.7: Mode of Transport getting around Dhaka city by the city dwellers (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

6.3.4 Travel Experience in Abroad

60% of the respondents have no prior experience of traveling abroad and other 40%

have experience of foreign visits for different purposes. Among them, 7% people have

experience of more than three times visit in foreign countries. Figure 6.8 represents

the survey findings through a pie chart.

Figure 6.8: Travel Experience of City dwellers in Foreign Country

(Source: Field Survey, 2010)

6.3.5 Places in Dhaka for Spending Time

Most of the city dwellers are preferred different shopping malls and restaurants or

cafes to spend time with friends and family while doing shopping or dine out. In this

study it is tried to find out their most visited places for shopping, eating, entertainment

and sightseeing. A short description of the survey results tried to present here.

Mode of Transport

9%

37%

25%

13%16%

WalkingOwn or rentedPublic TransportTour Bus/ CoachRented

Travel Experience of City dwellers in Foreign country

60%20%

13%7%

No prior experience

Once

Thrice

More than three times

73

· Shopping places: Today Dhaka city have adequate shopping facilities with so

many shopping mall all around the city. Some exclusive and well known shopping

mall are chosen by most of the people, whether he/she lives. The choice of the

shopping venue widely depends on various factors like gender, income level,

residence, age, distance and accessibility of the shopping venue and so on. Figure 6.9

represent the preference of different shopping malls by the city dwellers.

·

Fig 6.9: Preferred Shopping Venues of the City Dwellers

(Source: Field Survey 2010)

There are some Bangladeshi and foreign brand shop which have so many branches all over the city like Westecs, cats Eye, Aarong, Kay krafat, Deshal etc. So, people can choose their nearest show room of these brand shops for shopping. For traffic jam and shortage of time most of the city dwellers like to go for shopping at nearest shopping complexes. Table 6.1 gives the information on area based shopping complexes preferred by the city dwellers.

Preferred Shopping Venues of the City Dwellers

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Bashun

dhara

Gard

en City

New M

arket,

Gaus

ia, Chadni

Chawk

Banga

Bazar

Moucha

k

Dhanmond

i Haw

kers m

arket

Rifle Squ

are

Rajaniga

ndha S

uper M

arket

Concord tw

in Tow

er

Mohakh

ali Arm

y Sho

pping C

omplex

Eastern

Plaza

Gulshan

1 DCC M

arket

Muktijo

ddha M

arket

Mirpur

Navana T

ower

Aziz Sup

er Mark

et

Bismilla

h tower

old Dhaka

Shopping centers

Perc

enta

ge

74

Area of residence Preferred Shopping Venues

Old Dhaka Chadni Chalk, Gausia, New Market, Eastern Plaza, Rapa plaza, Bashundhara Garden city, Banga Bazar.

Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Shyamali

New Market, Rapa plaza, Rifles square, Metro plaza, Bashundhara Garden city, Dhanmondi hawkers, Chadni chalk

Badda, Rampura, Bashabo, Khilgaon

Mouchak,Concord Twin Tower, Karnafuli garden city.

Mahakhali, Gulshan, Banani

Jamuna Future Park, Navana Tower, Pink City, Gulshan DCC Market, Police Plaza

Kuril Shuvastu nazar valley,Mouchak, Jamuna Future Park Maghbazar, Shantinagar

Mouchak,Concord Twin Tower, Karnafuli garden city.

Tejgaon, Nakhalpara

Mahakhali Army shopping complex, Gulshan Aarong, Bashundhara City

Mirpur, Kallyanpur Muktijoddha Market,Prince Bazar, Benaroshi polli, Newmarket

Cantonment CSD, Rajanigandha Super Mark Uttara Mascot Plaza, Rajlakhsmi Complex

Table 6.1: City Dwellers Preferred Shopping Venues According to their place of Residence

(Source: Field Survey 2010)

● Dining Places: There are lots of places in Dhaka where gastronomic fans go to

meet their appetite. Specially Dhanmondi, Uttara, Banani, Khilgaon, Bonosree, Baily

road these places are stuck with different types of restaurant at one places. Now a

day’s Dhaka city Residence prefer to eat in the chain restaurants like KFC, BFC,

Nando’s, Pizza Hut etc. Gulshan Avenue, Kamal Ataturk Avenue, Dhanmondi, Uttara

etc have many buffet restaurants which are very popular among the city dwellers.

Chinese restaurants are preferred for different set menu; get together and parties. Old

Dhaka is preferred for all types of Moghhlai items. Recently there are several

restaurant which serves different regional foods of home and abroad like Nawab

chatga, Mezbaan bari, Oh Calcutta, Delhi Darbar, Thai emrald, Koreana etc. Figure

6.10 shows the city dwellers choices for eating out in Dhaka.

75

Fig 6.10: Preferred Dining Venues of the City Dwellers (Source: Field Survey 2010)

● Places for Cultural Activities: For recreation and passing leisure time city

dwellers prefer to attend in cultural programs arranged in Shilpokola Acadamy,

Dhaka university, Natmondol, Public Library, Rassian cultural center, Aliance

Franchise, National museum, Chayanot, Gattiya nattomoncho, Various art galaries,

Charukola, Baily road Theatre etc.

● Sight seeing: For sightseeing people of Dhaka used to go in Ramna park, National

Zoo, Botanical Garden, Baldha Garden, Gazipur Jatiya Uddan, Ashulia, Dhanmondi

lake, Buriganga, Zia uddan, Savar National Memorial etc places.

● Entertainment: For recreational purpose people used to go in Nandan park,

Fantasy Kingdom, National shisu park, Bashundhara Star Cineplex, riding zone of

Jamuna Future Park, Blockbuster Cinemas at Jamuna Future Park, Basundhara 300

feet, sonarhgaon etc. They also like watching movies, playing indoor and outdoor

games, attend in various concerts, listening music, visiting friends and relatives,

watching show in Novo Theatre etc.

● Attraction Spots: The survey finds that National Parliament Building is the most

visited attraction spot (81%) within the city for the city dwellers. The location of

beautiful Water body and Green Park within the vicinity made the place very popular

to the people of the city. Dhanmondi Lake is the second highest (77%) of the popular

attraction spots followed by Ramna Park (71%) and Bashundhara Mall (61%). Ramna

Park attracts people mainly for the ‘Bangla New Year’ celebration program when

Preferred Dining Venues of the City Dwellers

0%20%40%60%80%

100%

Dining AreasPe

rcen

tage

Dhanmondi Gulshan Baily road

Banani Uttara Old Dhaka

Muhammadpur Mahakhali Mirpur

76

people from every corner of the city come here to join the festival. Bashundhara

Garden city has become an Icon for the city dwellers for its beautiful architecture and

multiple activities under the same roof. Shopping, Dining and Entertainment all have

been facilitated in this wonderful Structure.

Rank Attraction Spots % 1 National Parliament

Building 81

2 Dhanmondi Lake 77 3 Ramna Park 71 4 Bashundhara Mall 61 5 Sahrowardi uddyan 53 6 Public Library 42 7 Lalbagh Fort 34 8 National Zoo 32 9 Ahsan Manzil 31 10 National Museum 29 11 Zia uddyan 26 12 Curzon Hall 25 13 Shishu Park 14 14 Baily road 13 15 Botanical Garden 11 16 Charukola Institute 11 17 Bangla Academy 10 18 Buriganga River Cruise 9 19 Novo theatre 9 20 Rayer Bazar Memorial 8

Table 6.2: Preferred attraction spots of city dwellers within the city (Source: Field Survey 2010)

6.3.6 Recommendations by City Dwellers

The city dwellers recommend the following initiatives to improve the entertaining

features of Dhaka city.

Ø Traffic jam of the city should be minimized

Ø Cleanliness and safety should be ensured everywhere in the city

Ø For improvement of sightseeing places and cultural place necessary steps

should be taken

Ø Safety should be ensured in various cultural programs, fairs, concert and

shopping malls

Ø Streets should be hawker free and footpaths should be clean

77

6.4 Survey on Tourists To know about tourist experience in Dhaka city 100 tourists are interviewed from

various parts of Dhaka. The profile of the tourist, place characteristics important

evaluation and overall experience of the tourists in Dhaka city all these are analyzed

here.

6.4.1 Tourist Profile

● Gender Both male and female tourists are interviewed to gather appropriate information.

Percentage of male and female interviewers is shown in figure 6.11.

Figure 6.11: Gender scenario of the foreign tourist interviewed (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

● Age Group of Tourists

There are different age group tourists who are interviewed. Number of various age

groups is presents in figure 6.14.

Figure 6.12: Age Group of Tourists (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

● Country of Residence

It is tried to interviewed tourists from various countries. As a result countries of

residence are varying which presents in figure 6.13.

Ag e Group of of T ouris ts

0 10 20 30 40

B elow 20

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

A bove 60

Age

in Y

ears

Num be r of T ourist

Number of T ouris ts

78

Occupation of Tourists10%

20%

8%

20%

16%

3%9%

14%

Student

Self employed

Housewife

Business

Executive

Proffessional

Retired

Others

Figure 6.13: Country of Residence of Tourists (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

● Educational Background of Tourists

Only a few tourists have no formal education. Others completed secondary and higher

secondary education. A significant portion has Bachelor or higher degree. Figure 6.14

represents the analyzed data.

Figure 6.14: Educational Background of Tourists (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

● Occupation of Tourists

According to the survey data, most of the foreigners visits Bangladesh are

Businessmen (20%) and self employed (20%). Remaining others 16% are hold

executive positions, 14% are Housewife and 10% are student. A few numbers of them

are retired persons (only 9%) and from other activity (3%). Figure 6.15 presents the

findings.

S

Figure 6.15: Occupation of Tourists (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

05

10152025303540

Number of Tourist

No formalEducation

Primary Secondary Certif icate/Diploma

Bacheloror Higher

Educational Qualification

Educational Background of Tourist

Number of Tourists

Country of Residence

0 5 10 15 20

1

Number of Tourist

South AfricaChinaJapanPhilipineFranceDenmarkKoreaGermanySudanNepalRassiaNorwayItalyIndia

79

● Main Purposes of Visiting Dhaka

More than half of the respondents have come Dhaka for the purpose of business

(51%). More than one-fourth of the tourists have chosen to visit Dhaka for spending

vacation. This appears to be the most evident purposes of visit for tourists to Dhaka.

Other purposes of visiting Dhaka are visiting friends and relatives (6%), academic

visits (4%) and others.

Figure 6.16: Main Purpose of Visiting Dhaka (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

● Party composition This study has discovered that 40% of the respondents traveled to Dhaka with friends

or partner. This party composition stands as the highest percentage among other

forms, such as traveling alone (31%), with family or relatives (14%) and in a big

group of more than five (15%).

Figure 6.17: Party Composition (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

● Mode of Transport

The tourist survey has also found that traveling around the city with rented vehicles to

be the most popular mode of transport chosen. With a total percentage of 74%, rented

transport is the highest selected option, compared to using other transport such as

public transport (12%) and tour coach or bus provided by tour operators (14%). In

Purpose of Visiting Dhaka

27%

6%

4% 12%

51%

Business

vacation

friends and relatives

academic visits

others

05

10152025303540

Number of Tourist

Withfriends or

partner

Alone Withfamily orrelatives

In a biggroup of

morethan five

Party Composition

Number of Tourist

80

reference to the previous data collected in this study, this is perhaps due to the fact

that most of the tourists come with family and relatives, thus it is easier for them to

travel in such size of group using a rented vehicle. Additionally, rented vehicles give

them more freedom and option on choosing their very own tourist route at their own

time pace.

Figure 6.18: Mode of Transport (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

● Accommodation A large proportion of the respondents stay at 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotels. Locations

of the accommodations are also found to be located within the vicinity of city centre

and business area. This data once more support the previous data which declared that

the tourists come to Dhaka largely for the purpose of business. This shows that the

affordability standards of the tourists are considerably high as they stay at 3-star to 5-

star hotels for the average length of stay of five to seven days or more. Tourist usually

prefers guest houses around Gulshan, Banani and Uttara area.

Mode of Transport

12%

14%

74%

Rented transport

Tour bus or coach

Public transport

81

Fig. 6.19: Most visited tourist accommodation in Dhaka (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

82

● Prior Experience in Dhaka

Near to half of the overall respondents are second time visitors (45%) and some are

third or for more repeated visitors (12%) to Dhaka because they have to come for

business purposes. But tourists who come here for spending vacation most of them are

first time visitors (43%).

Figure 6.20: Prior Experience in Dhaka (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

6.4.2 Preferred Places by the Foreign Tourist in Dhaka · Tourist Attraction

As shown in the Figure 6.21, points of attractions visited by foreign tourists are

Old Dhaka, National Poet's Graveyard, Suhrawardy Uddyaan, National Leader

Mausoleum, Banga-Bhaban, Shadhinota Stambha, Old High Court , Sitara Mosque,

Baitul Mukarram Mosque as well as Hindu, Buddhist and Christian churches and

temples.

Figure 6.21: Tourist Attraction Visited in Dhaka (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

Prior Experience in Dhaka

43%

45%

12% First

Second

Third or more

Statistics of visiting tourist attraction

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

Pecentage of visitors

Tourist attraction spot

Pece

ntag

e of

vis

itors

National MuseumLalbagh FortAhsan ManjilNational ParliamentNational MemorialShahid MinarSonargaonKarjon HallBahadur Shah ParkLiberation war Museum

83

Images of Tourist Attractions in Dhaka Visited by Tourists

Lalbagh Fort National Memorial

Ahsan Manjil National Parliament

National Leader Mausoleum Shadarghat port

84

· Entertainment

The survey finds that the most visited entertainment area for foreign tourists in

Dhaka are Ramna park, Dhanmondi lake, Alliance Franchise, Chandrima uddayan,

TSC, Botanical garden, Nandan Park, Fantasy Kingdom, Shilpokola Acadamy,

Natok para in bailly road etc. This interesting finding indicates that the tourists go

to a variety of places for entertainment during their stay in Dhaka City. All these

spots are shown in figure 6.22.

Figure 6.22: Education and cultural spots visited by tourists (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

85

· Shopping Places

Dhaka is also a shopping place, which enables it to attract and capture the tourists for shopping for the cheaper price of the goods.

Figure 6.23: Shopping Venue visited by tourist in Dhaka (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

· Places for Dining

Most of the tourists are like to taste Bangladeshi food. At a time they also prefer

fast food and western food. For that they visit so many dinning places shown in

figure 6.24.

Figure 6.24: Dining Places for Tourist in Dhaka (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

6.4.3 Place Experience Analysis

Table 6.3 and 6.4 indicate the perceived importance and actual experience ratings of

place character attributes in Dhaka as perceived by tourists. The survey has found that

most of the place characters were considered “important” by the tourists. The means

scores of importance of attributes range from 3.49 to 4.21, where 1 = Not important at

all and 5 = Very Important.

Shopping places visitede by Touists

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

1shopping centres

Pece

ntag

e of

vis

itors

Bashundhara city

Bongo Bazar

New market

Chadni chalk

Aziz super Market

Aarong

Gulshan Antique Market

Mirpur Banarasi palli

Dining Places of Tourists

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

Sta

rK

abab

and

rest

aura

nt

Wes

tern

grill

Piz

za H

ut

Dha

nsiri

rest

aura

nt

KFC

BFC

Nan

doos

Dining areas

Pece

ntag

e of

tour

ist

86

Rank

Characters Description Mean

Score

Rank 1

“Memories” The place gives them valuable images,

fantasies,

memories or feelings

4.21

Rank 2 “Identity” The place has its own identity and image. 4.13

Rank 3

“Choice” The place offers a variety of experience and

activities for them to choose.

4.11

Rank 4

“Sequence” The place gives them a continuous experience,

one after another.

4.02

Rank 5

“Active” The place is active and used by other people as

well for their activities.

4.01

Rank 6

“Opportunity” The special places and places of interest there

are easily known.

3.82

Rank 7

“Awareness” The place gives them new knowledge or

awareness.

3.49

Note: Mean scale: 1=Not important at all, 2=Unimportant, 3=Neutral, 4=Important, 5= Very Important

Table 6.3: Importance of Place Characters to Tourists (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

Rank

Characters Description Mean Score

Rank 1

“Memories” Dhaka gives them valuable images, fantasies, memories or feelings.

4.11

Rank 2

“Active” Dhaka is experienced as an active place that is used by other people as well for their activities

3.92

Rank 3 “Choice” Dhaka offers various activities for them to choose

3.86

Rank 4 “Sequence” Dhaka gives them a continuous experience, one after another.

3.80

Rank 5

“Opportunity” The special places and places of interest in Dhaka are easily known

3.79

Rank 6

“Awareness” Dhaka gives them new knowledge and experience.

3.41

Rank 7 “Identity” Dhaka has its own identity and image. 3.35 Note: Mean scale: 1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neutral, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly Agree

Table 6.4: Experience of Place Characters in Dhaka by Tourists (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

87

“Memories” is noted as possessing the highest importance among other attributes.

Following “memories”, in order of importance are “identity”, “choice”, “sequence”

“active”, “opportunity” and finally“ awareness”. This indicates that in any place,

these characteristics are valued as important in ensuring that the tourists have the best

experience.

These attributes are then assessed based on their presence in Dhaka through the

tourists’ own experiences. It is found that Dhaka has been experienced by the tourists

as a place which gives them “memories”, followed by being a place that is “active”,

gives them “choice”, “sequence”, “opportunity”, “awareness” and finally “identity”.

The following diagram displays the comparison of ranking between perceived

importance and actual experience (Figure 6.9).

Figure 6.25: Comparison between perceived importance and actual place experience by tourists

in Dhaka (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

From the diagram, it can be pointed out that Dhaka is experienced as a place with

various memories. It is also a place with active vitality, which gives them awareness

or new knowledge. Although the choices and sequence of activities are visible to

them, however, there is a lack in opportunities for knowing special places of interest,

Important Experienced Character to be present

Less Experienced Less important to be present

Character

Perceived Importance

Actual Experience

Memory

Identity

Choice

Sequence

Active

Opportunities

Awareness

Memory

Active

Choice

Sequence

Opportunities

Awareness

Identity

88

which possibly shows the lack of integration in their tourist routes or continuity of

activities that they are engaged in. Nevertheless, the city was still inexperienced as

having its own identity, with some need for a more memorable experience.

6.4.4 Analysis of Place Characters Using MAM

Although the place characters received different evaluations, nevertheless, all of the

attributes are “important” attributes perceived to be present in the destination. The

mean scores from both the importance and experience evaluation are tabulated in

Table 6.5 and Figure 6.26.

Keywords Mean* (Importance of

Attributes)

Mean** (Experience of

Attributes) “Choice” 4.11 3.86 “Sequence” 4.02 3.80 “Memories” 4.21 4.11 “Identity” 4.13 3.35 “Awareness” 3.49 3.41 “Opportunity” 3.82 3.79 “Active” 4.01 3.92

Note:

* Mean scale: 1=Not important at all, 2=Unimportant, 3=Neutral, 4=Important, 5= Very Important

** Mean scale: 1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neutral, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly Agree

Table 6.5: Place Characters Mean Scores (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

Figure 6.26: Model of Attitude Measurement on the Tourists’ Place Experience (Source: Field

Survey, 2010)

89

Differences of Mean Scores

1.0000

1.5000

2.0000

2.5000

3.0000

3.5000

4.0000

4.5000

5.0000

Choice Sequence Memories Identity Awareness Opportunity Active

Place Characteristics

Eva

luat

ion

Scor

es

Importance of Attributes Experience of Attributes

As presented above, all of the attributes of place characters fall into the same

quadrant, which is “important attributes perceived to be present in the destination”. At

this stage, the analysis indicates that Dhaka indeed possesses the entire important

place characters perceived by the tourists, which in return produce a positive

experience.

6.4.5 Gap Analysis

Although all of the attributes of place character are classified as “important” and

“present in the destination”, it is noteworthy to distinguish the difference of mean

scores between importance evaluation and experience evaluation. Furthermore, none

of the place experiences are found to surpass their expectation, which demonstrates

that there is still room for improvements in refining the tourist experience in Dhaka,

and most importantly, in ensuring that they visit the city again in the future. The gap

identified is analyzed to assist the formulation of recommendations for this study.

Figure 6.27, Table 6.6 and 6.7 represents the analyzed data.

Figure 6.27: Differences of Mean Scores (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

Keywords Mean (Importance of

Attributes)

Mean (Experience of

Attributes)

Difference (Gap)

“Choice” 4.11 3.86 0.25 “Sequence” 4.02 3.8 0.22

“Memories” 4.21 4.11 0.10

“Identity” 4.13 3.35 0.78 “Awareness” 3.49 3.41 0.08 “Opportunity” 3.82 3.79 0.03

“Active” 4.01 3.92 0.09 Table 6.6: Differences of Mean Scores (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

90

Gap 1 “Identity” 0.78

Gap 2 “Choice” 0.25

Gap 3 “Sequence” 0.22 Gap 4 “Memories” 0.10

Gap 5 “Active” 0.09

Gap 6 “Awareness” 0.08

Gap 7 “Opportunity” 0.03

Table 6.7: Gap Values in Ascending Orders

The analysis has found that the widest gap between expectation and experience is

placed in “Identity”. This difference shows that the attributes considered important

and desired by the tourist was lacking in Dhaka. As noted previously, this is probably

because they have certain expectations to the types of experience they can gain from

vacationing Dhaka. However, an in depth study is needed to discover the extent of

memorable experience searched by the tourists. Nevertheless, the other attributes have

closer gaps when compared to each other, which means that their expectations are

somewhat attainable, although their experiences do not go beyond their beliefs of

importance. On the other hand, “opportunity” is found to be the most attainable place

experience as this attribute has the narrowest gap.

6.4.6 Analysis of Overall Tourist Experience The measurement of overall tourist experience is adapted from Steele’s high Quality place experience (Steele, 1981). The criteria also support Ryan’s tourist experience, which embraces the degree of satisfaction gained from the experience. The evaluation of tourist experience is based on the following factors. The respondents are asked to rate their experience by agreeing or disagreeing to the given statements (1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree).

1) They like being at the place. 2) They enjoy the activities at the place. 3) They get what they want to do at the place. 4) They are satisfied with their visit to the place. 5) They would revisit the place again. 6) They would recommend the place to their friends or relatives.

91

All of the experiences surveyed to the tourists are evaluated between the scores of 3.3 to 4.12, which is close to the “agree” rating. This signifies that the respondents are overall satisfied with their visit to Dhaka. It can be noted that their overall experience does not only include place experience alone, but other factors such as services, hospitality, price, lifestyle and their own personality. Nevertheless, it is evident that there is still an opportunity to enhance their experience of visiting the city through refining their place experience, where their current evaluation on the overall experience can still be considered as above average, as the assessment did not reach or get close to the “strongly agree” rating. The mean scores for each factor are shown in Table 6.8 and Figure 6.28.

Keywords Mean (Tourist Experience)

“Recommend” 4.12 “Revisit” 4.10

“Satisfied” 4.03 “Enjoy” 3.8

“Achieve” 3.5 “Like” 3.3

Note: Mean scale: 1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neutral, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly Agree

Table 6.8: Overall Tourist Experience Evaluation

Note: Mean scale: 1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neutral, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly Agree

Figure 6.28: Overall Tourist Experience Evaluation

Tourist Experience Evaluation

4.12

4.1

4.03

3.8

3.5

3.3

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

“Recommend”

“Revisit”

“Satisfied”

“Enjoy”

“Achieve”

“Like”

Exp

erie

nce

Mean Scores Mean (Tourist Experience)

92

6.4.7 Evaluation of Tourist Experiences in Dhaka

Tourist experience in Dhaka city is evaluated by interviewed 100 tourists from

various parts of whole Dhaka. Their experiences are evaluated by following attributes:

µ Quality of accommodation available in Dhaka

µ Cleanliness and Upkeep of the city

µ Tourists personal Safety from Crime

µ Accessibility of attraction points of the city

µ Level of crowding and congestion

µ Range of nightlife and entertainment available

µ Range of restaurant and eating establishment in the city

µ The pleasure of leisure shopping within the city

µ Price levels of goods and services in the city

µ Aesthetic value of the city

µ Range of cultural and artistic amenities

µ Level of helpfulness among local people

Here a scale is used to evaluate the attributes which starts from 1= very poor to 5=

Excellent. The results of the survey presents in figure 6.29.

Figure 6.29: Evaluation of Tourist Experience in Dhaka (Source: Field Survey, 2010)

Rate of Tourist Experience Evaluation

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

Quality

of Acc

omod

ation

Cleanlin

ess a

nd U

pkee

p of th

e city

Safety

from C

rime

Acces

sibility

of A

ttracti

on Poin

ts of th

e City

Leve

l of C

rowdin

g and

Con

gesti

on

Range

of N

ightlif

e and E

nterta

inmen

t Ava

ilable

Restau

rant a

nd E

ating

Establi

shment

Pleasu

rability

of Le

isure

Shopp

ing

Price l

evels

of G

oods a

nd S

ervice

s

Aesthe

tic V

alue o

f the C

ity

Cultura

l and

Artis

tic A

minities

Leve

l of H

elpful

ness

amon

g Loc

al Peo

ple

Percentage of Tourist

Rat

e of

Eva

luat

ion

Very Poor Poor Average Good Excellent

93

6.4.8 Significant Findings of the Tourist Survey

Significant findings of the study are summarized below:

§ The most important place character to the tourist is for a place to give them “valuable and memorable experience”, and this attribute is found to have the gap of 0.10 between expectation and experience which is very nominal and attainable. Lack of memorable experience is perhaps due to the lack of proactive activities that can stimulate their feelings and emotions.

§ Tourists between the ages of 20 and 29 considers “memories” to be “very important” (30.5%), as they come to Dhaka mainly for “academic purpose” (30%) and stay for a longer time period.

§ The respondents have experienced Dhaka as an active place that is used by other people for activities, in which “active vitality” is the second most important criteria of place evaluated by them.

§ There is a lack in sequence and continuous experience. This is possible to be due to their short length of stay in the city, their pattern of activities at some point, and the way they visit the city. 43% stay from five to seven days, while 42% stay for less than seven days.

§ The most visited attraction is around old Dhaka (tourist attraction) and Gulshan-Banani (cuisine and accommodation) area.

§ The most concentrated area of shopping venues visited and hotels accommodated are around Gulshan and Banani . Bangabazar is also highly visited by the tourist for cheap garments item.

§ Majority of the respondents were between the ages of 20 and 49, who are mostly businessman, students and self-employed.

94

CHAPTER 7

Strategies to improve and increase tourists’ visits to places in Dhaka

By integrating urban planning with urban design and development

7.1 Introduction

This chapter is mainly divided into two parts. The first part presents practical

recommendations for placemaking and in the other part suggestions for future

research are given.

7.2 Strategies to create great public places in Dhaka

While planning a particular place development to create a public place, the project

should be started by envisioning a network of well-connected, multi-use public

spaces that fit with the community’s shared goals (PPS, 2008) and contribute to the

restoration of place quality within the city. The process can be as follows-

7.2.1 Determining the character of the public spaces: By orienting public spaces around or facing the point of attraction, new construction

can be a tool to enhance the quality of existing destinations. Pedestrian connections

in the particular area should be given top priority. Auto-oriented development

should be avoided.

Figure 7.1: Character of the public spaces- pedestrian walkway avoiding auto

oriented development

95

7.2.2 Public Goals should be the Primary Objective

Any kind of redevelopment plans should adhere to the notion that the attraction spot

of the city is an inherently public asset. Then it will be relatively easy to follow the

rest of the steps here. Tourists’ attraction spots everywhere are too valuable to

simply allow developers to dictate what should happen there. Developers will

simply look at the commercial benefit rather than the public interest. This is not to

say that private development is unwelcome and should be discouraged – on the

contrary, it is often necessary to the future of a healthy city. But the best solution for

revamping any important public place should not be private short-term financial

objective. Public participation should be the first goals. Community engagement-

specially, local ownership and pride along with strong direction from planning

authority can establish a successful public square or waterfront destinations reach

out to entire community.

7.2.3. Building on Existing Assets & Context

After establishing the public spaces and public goals, the public visioning process

with the existing assets and surrounding context should be started. It should begin

with the historical form and function of the site to foster a locally grounded identity

by channeling former vibrancy into a variety of uses. Any sort of area improvement

project can easily create an abundance of user-friendly destinations while preserving

the industrial and residential character of both part of the site. Existing industrial

uses can be preserved when compatible with human activity on the area.

Surrounding neighborhoods should be integrated into the site to strengthen

connectivity between destinations. And new development should embrace its spatial

context with appropriate orientation and usages.

Fig.7.2 Existing Assets and context

96

7.2.4. Creating Multiple-use Destinations

According to PPS, the most effective way to propel a visioning process is to set a

goal of creating ten great destinations along a waterfront; an idea is called the

“Power of Ten.” The focus on destinations, rather than “open space” or parks, will

enable a genuine community-led process to take root. Residents, businesses,

community organizations and other stakeholders all join in to help to identify the

key destinations and then define the uses and activities they want to see at each

place. Thus great destinations can be created throughout a waterfront.

The same principle should be applied at each destination to come up with a list of

ten activities for that spot. A wealth of things to do broadens the appeal of the

destination, encouraging round-the-clock use.

Fig.7.3 Multiple use destination.

Through multiple place evaluation workshops, a variety of community stakeholders,

public agencies, and private firms can produce a collective vision for a broad range

of uses to draw people to the waterfront.

97

7.2.5. Connecting the Destinations

Destinations should be connected to one another and incorporated into a vision for

the site as a whole. An attraction spot or waterfront that is continuously walk able

with a variety of activities along the way will successfully link destinations,

allowing the appeal of each one to strengthen the place as a whole.

Creating these seamless connections is a fascinating challenge that involves mixing

uses (such as housing, recreation, entertainment and retail) and mixing partners

(such as public institutions and local business owners). Another key element is

attracting people to on foot or bike, rather than just in their cars.

Parks or esplanades should not serve as the whole purpose of the entire waterfront or

any site. Too much passive, one-dimensional open space puts a damper on the

inherent vibrancy of waterfronts, as evident in many spots throughout Toronto, New

York City and Vancouver, — cities that have relied too heavily on “greening” their

waterfronts without including other public activities that draw people for different

reasons at different times. The world’s best waterfronts use parks as connective

tissue, using them to link other high-profile destinations together. Helsinki,

Stockholm, Sydney, and Baltimore have successfully employed this strategy.

Fig.7.4 Connecting the destinations.

98

7.2.6. Maximizing Opportunities for Public Access

It is essential that the spot of people attraction be accessible for everyone to the

greatest extent possible. Here too, the goal of continuity is of paramount importance.

A place with continuous public access is much more popular than those where

public space is interrupted. Even small stretches where the waterfront is unavailable

to people greatly diminish the experience. California’s Balboa Island, located off the

coast of Newport Beach, makes its entire shoreline accessible to the public instead

of giving waterfront property owners sole rights of use.

Access also means that people can actually interact with the water in numerous

ways–from swimming and fishing, to picnicking dockside and feeding the ducks,

where there is a waterfront. If it is not possible to actually dip their hands in the

water, people should have access to another type of water nearby–such as a

fountain, spray play area or a swimming pool that floats next to the water body, such

as the pools set up in the Seine during Paris Plage.

Fig.7.5-Maximizing Opportunities for Public Access

7.2.7. Balancing Environmental Benefits with Human Needs

While a wide variety of uses can flourish on a tourist attraction spots, many

successful destinations embrace their natural surroundings by creating a close

connection between human and natural needs. Marine biologists and

environmentalists today promote the restoration of natural shorelines — at least

where marine uses do not dominate – and advocate replacing crumbling bulkheads

with natural vegetation that will improve water quality, and revive fish and wildlife

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habitat. But this natural restoration should not preclude human use. Boardwalks,

interpretive displays, and even more active uses such as playgrounds and picnic

areas can be incorporated into the waterfront design without sacrificing

environmental benefits.

Fig.7.6- Boardwalks provides opportunities to interact with wildlife along natural shorelines.

7.2.8 Making Big Changes through Small Steps

Unlike a master plan, the community visioning process of any public place

development project should not lock a project into a prescribed solution. It should be

a citizen-driven initiative that outlines a set of goals that set the stage for people to

think boldly, make breakthroughs, and achieve new possibilities for their waterfront.

Because a vision is adaptable and can be implemented gradually, starting with small

experiments, it often becomes more powerful through time as public enthusiasm for

making bold changes gains support.

Good public spaces don’t happen overnight. Placemaking is about doing more than

planning. Many great plans get bogged down because they are too big, too

expensive, and simply take too long to happen. Short-term actions, like planting

flowers or make a walkway, can also be a good way not only to test ideas, but to

also give people the confidence that change is occurring.

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Fig 7.7 Temporary uses might provide a successful example of how low-cost improvements with

their surroundings to create great destinations.

7.3 Placemaking through Better Settings

The place making concept has turned out to be a powerful democracy-building tool

that enables citizens and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) to work effectively

with local governments to restore public life and public spaces. The lack of great

public spaces and public activity constitutes a major factor limiting social cohesion

and true nation building.

The initial aim of this study is to learn how tourist’s place experience can be refined

through the means of placemaking. Following recommendations are suggested

based on the findings of this study. Although this particular study is conducted on

the local people and tourists visiting Dhaka, nonetheless the findings can still be

applied to the broader concept of placemaking.

· Choices and Options

Activities are the basic essentials of a place. Offering things to do give people a

reason to come to that place and possibly return again. For example, in this study the

major purposes for coming to Dhaka are for business purpose. Besides, foreigners

engage themselves in exploring the life style of a developing country.

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To turn Dhaka one of the world capitals for business and culture, it must provide a

high quality of life for its residents, workers, and visitors. As a major city, Dhaka

should develop infrastructure and service sector as well as it should offer a wide

range of tourist attractions, shopping, entertainment, and hotel and conference

facilities. This is the way how Dhaka can create a distinctive city identity and image

and can be able to establish itself as an attractive international tourist destination.

Diversity in tourism products is highly required. In this modern era, if we depend on

the nature created hills, forests, and sea only for developing tourism sector; certainly

that will not be enough. Several types of tourism such as convention tourism,

environmental tourism, sports tourism, religious tourism etc can be brought into

highlights which might give the visitors more choice and options.

Convention tourism can help the convention and visitor industry of the city to grow

by differentiating Dhaka as an environmentally appealing or “green” destination.

The initiative may engage individual businesses and associations, including the

Convention Centers, Lodging Association, Restaurant Association, transportation

vendors, tour operators, event planners etc.

International standard stadiums and accommodation can attract international sports

events to be held in Dhaka. It can be a nice venue for Football, Cricket, Golf, or

regional games if appropriate measures are taken.

Fig: 7.8 International standard Convention Centres/Accommodation/Shopping Mall

To accommodate tourists.

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At a time tourists also shop a lot, especially garments item, handicrafts, crockery as

they are comparatively cheaper here in Dhaka than the world market. Although

shopping experiences are conventionally done in indoor complexes, there is still

room for improvement in taking shopping experiences to a different level. These can

be achieved through the following suggestions:

Ø A mean of refining the shopping experience is to create‘different’ types of

shopping such as the outdoor market or bazaars. Dhaka already has Bangabazar in

Fulbaria and Hawkers Market in Dhanmondi which are highly explored by the local

and foreign visitors. Still there are tourists who searches for the quality products,

many of them prefer to shop for brand or exclusive product with also somewhat

hefty price tags. This shopping experience can be found at upper class suburban

malls. The tourists could be provided with designed outdoor avenue that opens a

high standard of flea market that offers creative artworks, clothing and accessories

of commendable standards and prices to diversify their shopping experiences.

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Fig:7.9 High standard flea market with ample walking space providing exclusive

tourism product.

Ø As shopping can be end up in a tiring experience, more spaces for relaxing

and sitting down without the obligation of purchasing anything can be provided. It is

noticeable that inside the shopping complexes in entire Dhaka seating area is not

provided anywhere, other than in the cafes. The same condition applies to Aarong or

Bashundhara city and other shopping mall, where inside or outside the shopping

mall, the number of benches can still be added.

Fig:7.10 Seating/waiting area in busy Township

Parks and recreational facilities should be developed to attract tourists from the

recreational and leisure segments. High-tech theme park, night-safari can add

interest to the adventure-lovers. Butterfly Park, Bird Park and speciality Garden can

be set up to create diversity of activities.

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Fig: 7.11 Recreation facilities in the city.

To make the place-making principles work, squares and other public spaces that had

been neglected previously should be brought into limelight. The new public spaces

will create opportunities for people to gather freely and comfortably. And in this

way these places all over the capital would turn into community assets as well as

provide better place experience within the city.

Places need to be designed to foster interaction between people. A simple example

would be ensuring that the way seating is arranged is conducive to conversation. If

people are in groups, are talking, are smiling, using the space on a regular basis and

moreover there is a mix of ages and ethnic groups that generally reflect the

population, it can be assumed that the places sociability measures have been

achieved.

Fig:7.12 Unscociable places.

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Fig:7.13 Places fostering public interaction

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There should have programs established for people that ensure there is a reason to

go to any place, and a reason to come back. The most successful places are

intensively scheduled with events designed to bring a wide variety of people to them

throughout the year. It is important to consider both winter and the summer

programs. There have to be a wide variety of activities to participate in (walking,

eating, relaxing, reading, active recreation, games).

Several breathing zones should be designated in the city where driving is not

allowed on public holidays. Bike race, Marathon, boat races can be arranged to

create events.

Wide screen projector can be set up in squares or plazas for watching important

event broadcasted by TV media. Football matches, National events, awareness

building campaign and so on to make the places more popular.

Great places are easily accessible – on foot and visually. The place should be

dominated by pedestrians. It should be a destination in and of itself, or along a

heavily used pedestrian path. The place must be visible from a distance and easy to

walk to the place. Sidewalks should lead to and from adjacent areas and the space

must be used by people who work or live in adjacent area. A variety of

transportation options needed to provide access to the place (car, bike, bus). Roads

and paths through the space match where people want to go.

Users must perceive that a place is safe. It should be clean and it should be obvious

that it is managed and being cared for. No one likes to come to a place that appears

to be forgotten. The place must make a good first impression. The place must be

prone to have more women than men (women are more discriminating about the

types of public places they choose to use). There have to be a variety of places to

sit. It must be clean. In successful places people are frequently seen to be taking

pictures. In this kind of place people feel comfortable showing affection

.

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Fig: 7.14 Squares and Plazas in the city to enhance placemaking

Seating must be provided, If people are expected to frequent plazas and mini-parks,.

Provide seating areas that enable interesting views. The most successful plazas will

provide a variety of seating options. Steps, ledges and planter walls, benches and

individual moveable chairs are all viable options, but are best when used together.

The way seating is arranged required to be conducive to conversation.

Ledges and planter walls can be effective places for sitting. They should be deep

enough to accommodate a human back side comfortably. Steps should not be

counted on to provide the majority of the sitting space. They work for individuals

and couples, but when more than two people gather on steps, it becomes awkward to

maintain eye contact and position them in ways that foster conversation. Benches at

right angles to one another tend to foster conversation in a group whereas a single

bench without anything in front of it may appeal to an individual.

Whenever possible, make the seating moveable as they allow opportunities for

larger groups to gather at the same table. Fixed seating is strongly discouraged in

public places. As they are fixed, there is no opportunity to pull an unused chair from

another table and people go somewhere else where they can sit together if it’s a big

group. The unused chairs at the table with one sitter become a waste of money and

space.

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Fig: 7.15 Different kind of seating option in Squares and Plazas in the city to enhance

placemaking

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Plants are encouraged to be used in squares, parks and plazas. For safety reasons,

planting design for public spaces should not limit views through the space.

Opportunities for seasonal plantings should be provided throughout the space to

enhance color, seasonal interest and confirm that the place is managed and cared for.

This can be done through the use of pots and provision of space within planting beds

for annuals.

Fig: 7.16 Plants creating canopy over roads and creating different kind of experience.

One way to ensure that many of the successful place characteristics are achieved in a

new place is to create a sense of ownership among the stakeholders of that place.

The design process of any new public space in the Redevelopment Area should

include substantial opportunities for authentic public input.

As one of the most visited architecture of Dhaka, Our National Parliament Building

is a perfect location for placemaking. Incorporating new activities in the open spaces

around the structures might change the complete atmosphere of the entire area.

Every year, when the parliament activities is not in run, the street behind the

Parliament building might be closed to vehicles and the entire area can be

transformed into a public place. People of all ages would like to come to the area to

enjoy skating, exercising, dance lessons, kite flying, gathering, and playing football.

Amenities might include chairs, cafés, misting fountains, trees, mobile library and

so on. In this way it can be turned into a successful public square where all members

of the community— people of different ages, trades and educational levels can come

together. It would be a great option for people who could not leave town during the

holidays.

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Activities that can be done during sightseeing must also be refined and designed to

be more proactive, rather than just a go-see experience. Activity packages at the

attraction of visit can be further polished to encourage more participation and

involvement such as through hands-on experience by the tourists. Chess and other

games can be rented from a kiosk, temporary activities like bowling can be planned

and accommodated (in this case bowling), and movies can be shown throughout the

winter or public holidays or weekend evenings. Activities can include green

markets, art fairs, lunch time concerts, outdoor ice skating, model boating,

community meetings, art displays, vending, eating, and gardening. Moreover,

information centre, proper lighting and signage, small cafe, souvenir shop, display

hall etc have to be established in proper location. Then there will always be a reason

to come back.

When the program is developed during the design phase, the place can be designed

so that the most likely activities will be accommodated. For example, if a large wall

adjacent to a small park would be great to show movies on, trees should not be

planted in front of the wall.

Fig: 7.17 Information centre/ Display Hall/ Souvenir shop/café all under same

roof at strategic places. Street lighting plays major role for making a vibrant place.

· Reinforcing Patterns and Sequence

Continuity of Experience is another character that shall be carefully planned and

thought. Even without offering experience in tour packages, the setting itself is able

to give the experience of patterns and sequence when designed with this aim in

mind. Following are some of the ways to achieve pattern and sequence.

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Ø Through landscape and urban design, certain consistency of form, materials

items and arrangements can give an identity to that particular spot, when the tourists

traverse to the next spot, they will be able to feel and experience the transitions and

difference.

For example, old Dhaka is characterized by dense buildings, narrow street, food

stall, business outlets, colourful decorative materials shops. These design features

have given a special identity to old Dhaka.

New Dhaka is more specious than old Dhaka. The Dhaka university area is green,

calm, shaded with big trees, decorated with monuments. Its always lively with

students from Dhaka University, Dhaka Medical college, Fine Arts Institutes,

BUET.

After The university area the busy cityscape starts with its full activeness up to

green and specious cantonment and then comes the residential area of Gulshan,

Banani, Baridhara, Bashundhara, Uttara.

It’s evident that patterns and sequence is present there in Dhaka and it can be found

if searched with care. With deliberate effort it’s not impossible to reinforce specific

pattern and sequence in this city.

Fig:7.18 Creating pattern and sequence through six season gardens along the patterned

parking area in the foreground.

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Ø Edges of space are important as well, where it is more interesting to provide

walkways close to shops and places of activities, rather than being too separated

away. A stroll from one location to another through several of activities can give a

better walking experience. However, the comfort and safety measure must also be

taken into account as a rich walking experience will break if one feel unsafe or

uncomfortable in the situation. For example, pedestrian walkways along the lakes

and river in Dhaka could also reinforce its design characters as a nostalgic part of

town through the use of materials that resemble Dhaka in the older days.

Ø Additionally, urban trails for tourists can be designed and promoted to

tourists in Dhaka through City Guides or even as a package to navigate their

sightseeing experience. With a sound knowledge in tourism, tourism planners

should be able to direct the tourist’s routes, building on one experience to another,

by suggesting the places that they should visit first, or what they should do next, in

some order.

Fig: 7.19 Urban trails create unique sightseeing experience within the city.

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· Rich Materials for Fantasies and Memories

Memories and fantasies without a doubt depend on the users themselves. However,

placemaking can help to refine the memorable experience of tourists through

activities that give an impact to them. This again relates to “choices and options”

which is by providing them with diverse alternatives of activities, depending on the

level of experience that they seek. Recommended ways to give a memorable

experience are as follows:

Culture and History based place making

Ø The local festivals of Pahela Baishakh, 21st February, Durga Puja, Spring

Festival, Book Fair, Trade Fair should be promoted through media advertisement for

international attention. The events like ‘Tajia Utshab’ during Ashura, Shakrain ‘Kite

Fair’ of old Dhaka in winter is worth to be noticed specially. The food street of

Chawk Bazar during Ramadan is Special of its kind. It requires special attention to

create a place to enjoy this kind of traditional festivals.

Fig: 7.20 Shakrain –an unique celebration of the people of old Dhaka.

Ø Rejuvenation of the city’s Old Town is required to make it a more welcoming

and comfortable destination for visitors and locals alike. Historical buildings of old

Dhaka require proper conservation. It will revitalize the essence of the place.

Celebrating program that connect to old Dhaka’s tradition in Ahsan Manzil and

Lalbagh can widespread the culture to the visitors. Specially Shakrain (poush

shankranti) is special of its kind. Light and sound show in regular basis, along with

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river cruise and food stalls can be added to visitor’s experience. Adequate lighting ,

sitting, gathering points, food arrangement, cleanliness and safety can enhance the

place experiences over this places.

Ø William H. Whyte said, “If you want to seed a place with activity, put out

food.” Food draws people to a place who attract more people. It can be provided by

adjacent restaurants and cafés, or by temporary stands and carts. Designers of public

spaces in the Redevelopment Area are encouraged to accommodate places for

vending carts. The ultimate effect is that those coming to a small park may also grab

an ice cream cone from the shop a couple doors down from the plaza on the way

back to the home. In the end, everyone benefits from the higher concentration of

users and activity and of course economy generated in the place.

Fig: 7.21 Food draws people.

Ø Adding up new and creative approaches to sightseeing and shopping

experience can also be enhanced through dining experience. Local Eateries have

great opportunity to enhance gastronomic experiences for tourists and should be

added into the Dhaka City Guide. Food Street of Chawk Bazar can be converted into

a round the year event while working with accessibility and adaptable development

of the area. International chain fast food shops should be more available in the city.

Tourists find it more comfortable to take food in internationally renowned food

outlets.

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Fig: 7.22 Chawk Bazar food street of old Dhaka during Ramadan – it can be turned into a

great destination for tourist if it becomes a round the year event and greater accessibility is

ensured.

There might be food courts having all sort of food stalls ranging from local,

continental, Chain fast food shops in various public places where people can come

and have their lunch or dinner without going anywhere and choose any kind of food

they like. There could be food kiosks in certain places providing street food,

specialty food and fruit hawkers rather than letting them wander around the place.

Ø The study has also found National parliament building as one of the most

visited tourist attractions. As a world’s famous architecture it is an experience of its

own. The information whether tourists are allowed to visit the parliament building

and the charge should be easily known. Photography with ‘Parliament Building’ in

the background might provide a memorable experience if the tourists are involved

directly with the building and a particular spot can be maintained to have the best

photography with this monumental building.

Fig: 7.23 National Assembly Building area can be a vibrant place for the city.

Photography with National Assembly Building of Bangladesh

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Ø Holiday Market can be set up in the open plaza of Parliament House-when the

parliament activities are not in run. It can be turned into a great civic point as once it

was. Combining the lake and water body behind and along with the Chandrima

Uddyan it can generate actual placemaking standard within the new part of Dhaka.

Exclusive Shopping venues all are nearby. Exotic Dining experience is not also far

from the place. Accommodation is within reach if the traffic congestion could be

handled effectively.

Ø Old Airport at Tejgaon can be used for many interesting activities along with

national parade during national events. Helicopter riding, Para-trooping and other

celebration in this area can add flavor to the entertainment level of the city dwellers

as well as the tourists.

Ø Dhaka University area is a great place for people of Dhaka; this area is always

vibrant with different kind of public activities. A little attention can go far in case of

space feelings refinement.

Water body based place making

Ø River cruise in particular are of great interest to tourists as they give an insight

into the traditional Bangladeshi way of life. A river cruise experience from the old

town to other parts of city areas promoted by the Parjatan Corporation may also give

a different kind of experience to the tourists. Being in a traditional boat such as the

‘sampan’ in the middle of a busy metropolitan city can provoke or stimulate a

different feeling. A slower-paced view of the city can be seen from the river.

Consideration in revitalizing the urban river system may add effectively to the

placemaking process. Nonetheless, transforming the river into a useful touristic site

in the future has its benefits.

Fig: 7.24 River Cruise can be a memorable experience if the river banks are planned

deliberately.

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Ø Special attention should be paid to River Buri-Ganga and its restoration.

Deliberately planned activities will provide more community gathering spaces and

plus create an opportunity to create a better-defined outdoor connection with the

places adjacent to the water body to turn the river side into community places that

serve as civic anchors and destinations.

Ø Well paved and well designed walkway built all along the river would

encourage walking for the visitors and local people. Decorated planters, waste bin,

sitting bench, street light after reasonable intervals, jogging track and exercise

stations can make these riverfront garden more attractive to the people. Shading

trees, seasonal flowerbed, informal sitting can be used for beautification of the

riverside and create more scope for placemaking. It would be magnificent if the

green plateau passes throughout the entire riverside neighborhood.

Fig: 7.25 Present way of dining can be converted into a sophisticated dining experience.

Fig: 7.26Instead of untreated river side, stepped bank can be a good place for enjoying the

river.

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Fig: 7.27 Well designed bridges can be a place of attraction if a standing place is provided

accordingly. Well paved walkway is a treasure to the River bank.

Fig: 7.28 Defferent kind of sitting arrangement along the riverside parks, walkway enhances

the public space quality.

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Fig: 7.29 Well defined places for multiple kind of activity can make the place more vibrant.

Fig: 7.30 walkway and sitting arrangement along the River

Fig: 7.31 Jogging trail, sitting arrangement and open to theatre by the River side

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Ø Open to air theatre built at appropriate positions can hold the public gathering,

live performances, and cultural shows. Those can also be used as celebration point,

where people might have gather for special day celebration and enjoy water show,

fireworks and other program. These am phi-theatres can also be used for informal

sitting during normal days.

Ø Water taxi can be provided in the river for group cruising. Boating facilities,

canoeing, aqua biking also can be added to the recreational facilities. Fishing deck,

Bird feeding points can be provided for diversifying the activities and attract

visitors.

Fig: 7.32 Fishing deck and bird feeding point.

Ø Riverside Promenades can be a good place for photo exhibitions. Sculptural

design features of exhibition stands can work as an unique landscaping element.

Fig: 7.33 Exhibition Area.

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Building fountains and water features for year-round appeal and by ensuring

proper maintenance would add stone to the place making process. One thing need to

remember that the design should look as attractive in the winter as it does in the

summer, whether it is on or off. This can often be achieved by incorporating

sculptural elements within the fountain design that are pleasing to look at whether

water is flowing over them or not. When the space needs to be used for other

activities, it can be turned off. In Public places, fountains can be shut off for several

months of the year. Another method is to use nozzles that spray up from below

decorative pavement. When they are turned off, it is not apparent that a water

feature is not operating.

Fig: 7.34 Water features that can be turned off without hampering aesthetic value of the area

as well as it can make the adjacent area cooler during summer while it’s in use.

Recognize that fountains require significant maintenance. If resources are not

available to provide on-going, long-term maintenance, water should not be used.

Fig: 7.35 Water features and its uses.

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Designers are encouraged to create fountains that allow access to and interaction

with the water. One of the most compelling qualities of water is the feel of it

gushing over a hand or soothing aching feet. Anyone arriving at an interesting

feature only to find a sign that says “Do Not Touch” will find that their excitement

at discovering the fountain is overwhelmed by the negative emotions created by the

regulation.

Many proposals have been made and studied on the revitalization of the Lakes in

Dhaka. Hatirjhil and Dhanmondi has become a role model of successful lake

restoration project in the country. Especially Hatirjhil project has become a new

place for the people of Dhaka to gather, socialize, relax and enjoy.

· A Sense of Identity

Dhaka is perceived by the tourists as having its own identity. Generally, the city

is known as an active urban area. What makes Dhaka unique when compared to

other major cities in the country must be established. Therefore, in gearing towards

this aspiration, some are the means to complement the image aand identity of the

city are like below:

Ø Landscape and urban design in Dhaka should be in consistent themes, in terms

of form, materials, items and arrangements, so that the larger picture is clearly

identifiable. For example, signature planting can be made known throughout the

city, as buildings and larger structures are much harder to augment. Incorporating

‘Shapla’ flower in the landscape design, Light post design might show an effort in

shaping an identity of the city as well as the country itself by including national

flower in landscaping.

Ø Ensuring security through lighting as it always upholds the quality of a

tourist attraction place. Lighting is an important component of creating a safe night-

time environment in any public space as well as gives aesthetic value to a place.

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Although the primary purpose is nighttime visibility for security and safety,

successful street lighting takes into account the human users of the street. Lighting

increases safety in areas that people use, such as doorways and bus stops, aids in

geographic orientation, as people can use well-lit focal points (fountains,

buildings, bridges, towers, sculpture, et al.) as landmarks to help them find their

way, highlights the identity and history of an area, for well-lit historic details

draw attention to the uniqueness of an area, Creates a sense of drama.

Lighting can be used in many ways to enhance or refine the place feelings. Like-

Landscaping: Trees lit with small white “bee” lights have become a popular sight

in many cities even outside the holiday season, perhaps because they impart a

magical feeling and bring positive attention to streets and public spaces.

Transit stops: People feel more secure when bus, train, or trolley stops are well-lit.

Lighting also draws attention to and encourages use of such amenities.

Fig: 7.36 Lighting as Aesthetical features .

Entrances: Careful evening lighting around building entrances — especially in

residential building doorways — contributes to the safety of a district even more

than indiscriminate use of bright lighting that is not focused on areas of use.

Edges: The edges of a park or plaza – particularly any interesting gateposts, fences,

and specimen trees visible from the adjacent street -should be lit to help define and

identify the interior space. Buildings located on the edges of a park can also have

seasonal lights, bringing attention to the larger district beyond the park.

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Retail displays: Lighting retail displays, even when stores are closed, not only

provides ambient light for the street, but also encourages window-shopping. This

tactic can help to increase the number of people on a street, which is a major

contributor to security.

Architectural details: A city should provide lighting system that can illuminate

architecturally significant and historical building as well give the city an

extraordinary look. Lighting entrances, archways, cornices, columns, and so forth

can call attention to the uniqueness of a building, place, or district and bring a sense

of drama to the experience of walking at night.

Signage: Well-lit maps, along with directional and informational signage, are

essential to providing orientation at night.

Focal points: Lighted sculpture, fountains, bridges, towers, and other major

elements in a district, especially those visible to passing pedestrians and vehicles,

provide another form of way finding.

As a traffic-calming device: The difference between a pedestrian-lit street and a

highly illuminated highway automatically signals drivers that they have entered a

new and different zone, and compels them to slow their driving speed.

For instance, if the main use of the street is to channel a rapid flow of traffic (e.g. a

highway or major arterial), the recommended light level would differ from that of a

low-traffic residential street – which should in turn differ from a pedestrian-oriented

downtown street. Street lighting that is implemented as part of an overall streetscape

design in conjunction with other elements, such as benches, bus stops, and waste

receptacles, will reflect the pedestrian-oriented quality of the street, and can

potentially enable the off-street area (sidewalks, plazas, pocket parks) to be more

conducive to pedestrian and merchant activities.

The choice of light fixtures must meet the community’s preferences, based on the

character of the street and surrounding neighborhood. Factors to consider include

materials, colors, and finishes and style. Finally, in order to design the street as a

public space. They should appear compatible with litter receptacles and other street

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furniture. The fixture components (base, pole, luminaries) should have stylistic

compatibility, while varying in form according to functional requirements. In

addition, items that are attached to the fixtures (signs, signals, signal box, etc.)

should coordinate in appearance.

Lighting levels and an overall lighting plan must be derived from a number of

existing conditions as street width, sidewalk width, path width (in parks or plazas),

typical height of buildings, number, placement, and types of trees, types of paved

surfaces, roadway geometries, length of the block. There are also secondary

functions for light poles like individual pole decorations or banners, Street-spanning

banners or decorations for holidays or special events, or even planters.

Night lighting might be important tools to create memories for the tourists about the

night life of the city. For this purpose important building should provide lighting

system that can illuminate them as well give the city an extraordinary look.

Specially, architecturally significant and historical building should be included in

this project immediately.

Ø The connecting bridges over the water-bodies those emphasize local culture

with modern techniques must be there and they must be illuminated with proper

lighting. It would add more aesthetic value to the area and the bridges are with

proper security can also be turned into a vibrant public place during evening, even at

night.

Fig: 7.37 Night Lighting and Aesthetically designed bridges.

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Ø The provision of urban parks near shopping malls, such as in KLCC in

Kualalumpur, Malaysia, will not only encourage local citizens to appreciate the

outdoor space more, but will also strengthen the garden city image. Furthermore,

parks can always serve as transition points, resting place or alternative venues to

conduct activities and festivals, and its location near shopping malls enable it to

attract instant crowds. Ramna park, Sohrawardi Uddyan and Usmani Uddyan has

the potential to become breathing spaces for the areas, not only for the locals but for

the tourist as well. However, more design development is needed to improve the

conduciveness of these parks and ensure they can attract people to utilize it. They

may include: good places to sit( free from accumulated trash, debris and bird

droppings), lot of gathering points, visible and attractive entrances and visually

accessible spaces, conveniently located transit stops, domination of a place by

pedestrians, paths that leading where people want to go and moreover something

(Fair, exhibition, rally, street drama) is going on the year round.

Ø Blank walls around the edges of a place destroy uplifted space feelings. In

Dhaka Government and Autonomous Institution acquiring a great amount of land

within its boundary and maximum is unutilized and edges are defined by the blank

walls. It would be great if part of the land has been given for public use, specially by

the high traffic road to create bi-cycle lane and extended public facilities ( like

waiting, garden, hawker street, flower shop, public toilet) between Building and

Footpath. In that case surely the streets would have been more active and vibrant at

a time.

Ø Many public spaces suffer from being too big, and too wide open. In the

Redevelopment Area, designers are encouraged to develop spaces that are

comfortable and human in scale. Large barren spaces consisting of redundant

patterns or monotonous forms are strongly discouraged.

Kevin Lynch suggested that a dimension of 40 feet appears intimate in scale; up to

80 feet is still a pleasant human scale. And that most of the successful enclosed

squares in the past have not exceeded 450 feet in the smaller dimension. (According

to Jan Gehl the maximum distance for being able to see an event is 230 to 330 feet.

The maximum distance for seeing facial expressions is 65 to 80 feet).

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Fig: 7.38 Parks and plazas adjacent to very large buildings should include some kind

of overhead plane to create spatial enclosure and make the space feel human in scale.

Trellises, trees and umbrellas are all effective means of achieving this.

A varied ground plane can help to create the visual complexity that can be helpful in

breaking a large space down to more comfortably-scaled sub-areas. Concrete is

allowed in public spaces. Brick, concrete unit pavers, asphalt block, and stone

pavement are encouraged.

Changes in elevation can have a significant psychological impact on the

attractiveness of a space. Many people enjoy the sensation that viewing public

activities from a height provides. Changes in elevation can also help to separate

activities like seating from pedestrian circulation.

Creative peacemaking is a great tools to create vibrant place for tourists. Creating a

places for open air show or even a place designed for a flute player or folk singer in

a public squares add value to the place experience. A Deliberate inclusion of a chess

play board , or sunken sitting area, exhibition trail along pedestrian walkway bring

diversity to the streetscape and make room for civic engagement. Uniquely

Designed Photo shooting places can also be turned into really as a place of interest.

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Fig: 7.39 A pedestrian walkway designed to accomodate an exhibition during walk.

Fig: 7.40 Sunken Sitting Area.

Fig: 7.41 Excellent features for resting and photo shooting as well as.

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Climatic consideration can be wonderfully included in ‘creative placemaking

process’. Misting fountain in hot and humid weather soothes the passerby and keep

the built environment cool. Thus eventually become a gathering place for the

visitors.

Fig: 7.42 miscellaneous example of creative place making through weather control

Many public spaces receive their identity from art placed within them. Sculpture

should be fabricated from materials that can be expected to last long enough to

respect the emotional and financial investment in the piece. Artwork and large scale

wall Mural can be a component of a larger composition rather than an object in the

middle of a space – a quality that is encouraged in the Redevelopment Area.

Fig: 7.43 miscellaneous example of creative place making through sculpture

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Ø Consistency does not mean conformity; therefore there is no need to ‘Bengalize’ everything. The identity of Bangladesh is a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious nation, and it should sustain that way to retain its uniqueness. The visitors themselves should play their role as tourists to become more aware and identifying the differences of culture and lifestyle from other countries. Therefore, places like National Museums, Mosques, Temples and Churches can be further developed to relate the characters and history of the country, rather than just merely imitating western design influences.

· Highlighting Personal Awareness Personal awareness depends on the consciousness of the tourists themselves. Differences in cultures, similarities in religion may stimulate various perceptions or give new knowledge to individuals. Awareness can be stipulated up not only through formal presentation of information such as in museums or galleries, but also through publications and descriptions of the daily lives of the local people. From conversations with local people, or from reading local magazines, tourist can be learned individually, with a sound knowledge of the place they are visiting. Especially leaflets in the arrival lounge of the air ports & hotels might help to grow personal awareness about the city. Personal awareness can be highlighted through:

Ø Distribute local publications to tourists and a more locally-tuned description of places in brochures and pamphlets rather than merely touristic information. Information distributed should be constantly updated. Local places of interest and local eateries should be promoted more to the tourists. Monthly schedule of cultural events can be presented in published form by Tourism Promotion Board.

Ø Create more involving activities so the tourists can understand the meaning of their activities as part of the experience in Dhaka. For example, while visiting Baitul Mukarrum Mosque, Dhakeshwari Temple, Armenian Church and the Guru Duara Nanak Shahi tourists can be made to understand how people of diverse culture and religion are able to live in harmony for hundreds of years. This can be achieved through interpretation from tour guides or written information.

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· Highlighting Opportunity

Places with special features that can be easily identified are more likely to attract

more use by tourists than the ones that are only known by the insiders of the place.

This again relates to providing choices and options and different alternatives to the

tourists. Opportunities can be made more visible through these recommendations.

Ø Signage, access and transportation linkage also play major role in connecting

these less familiar places to the more familiar places. Signage and transport linkage

are important in linking the accommodation areas of the tourists with attraction

areas that they visit. Proper signage towards the point of interest and proper

advertisement is required to direct visitors to the intended area.

Ø Each tourist attraction spot should have Information centre, Small museum

or display hall, Proper lighting and signage, adequate transport facilities, small cafe

within its territory, souvenir shop etc.

Ø Short-term actions, like planting flowers or make a walkway, designed street

lights can also be a good way to give people the confidence that change is occurring.

Fig: 7.44 Parks can always serve as transition points, resting place or alternative venues to conduct activities and festivals.

· Active Vitality

Dhaka is undoubtedly an active city. It is clearly perceptible that the city is

generated by the patterns of users’ activities. As long as Dhaka retains its function

as a metropolitan, its activeness could only be increased. The most important thing

is the activeness have to be managed by taking systematic, administrative approach

so that the crowd is controlled, traffic is reduced, law and order is maintained.

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Cleanliness should be maintained everywhere in the city. Public amenities like clean

Public toilet at important places and regular disposal of garbage within the city

should be ensured. Safety should be ensured in various cultural programs, fairs,

concert and shopping malls, different historical and cultural sites. Cordial behavior

with tourists also should be ensured rather than putting a curious look at them.

Traffic congestion Management is vital in the context of Dhaka. The situation can

only be handled by improving public transit, reducing car traffic, encouraging

walking and biking. To encourage walking sidewalks have to be widened, for

shaded footpath trees should be planted along road side. Creating an extensive

network of cycling paths and nature trails would encourage cycling that contribute

to reduce environmental pollution. High parking charge might discourage use of

private vehicle and might increase the use of public transport. This kind of

deliberate decisions will consciously make it less appealing for people to drive in

the city. A new underground rail system network is under consideration from one

end to the other end of the city, linking a dozen of stoppages within the city. This

would certainly work if it is worked out effectively.

7.4 Refining tourists’ place experience in Dhaka

Refining tourism attractions in Dhaka must be need based, keeping all integrated

sustainable approaches, scientific conservation, nature based ornamentation under

consideration. Culturally representative architectural design, heritage motif may be

the key point of refining. Ruins should be reconstructed based on history and

heritage. Adequate parking, public transport, café, public toilet, souvenir shop, night

lighting, and signage at proper place above all security always uphold the quality of

a tourist attraction place. Strategic refining management is really giant task. Still,

systematic approach towards these problems will definitely pay off.

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Considerations while making places for visitors as well as tourists.

· Design places for people by considering human scale and needs. Strive for human-scaled spaces within larger parks, squares and plazas.

· Review the four qualities (Sociability, Uses & activities, Comfort & Image, Access & Linkage) of successful places when creating new urban spaces.

· Be sure to provide plenty of functional, usable seating. Whenever possible, make the seating moveable.

· Provide other amenities like trash receptacles, bike racks, trees, and lighting.

· Design fountains and water features for year-round appeal. Recognize that fountains require significant maintenance.

· Make art part of public spaces as much as possible. Explore abstract sculptural forms in addition to literal forms.

· Create programs for public spaces that provide people a reason to go there at different times of the day and year.

· Make food an important part of the design of the public space.

· Manage public spaces – Build and leave must not be a way.

All of these activity needs to be scheduled and managed by some management

authority. 80% of the success of any public space can be attributed to its

management (PPS). Planning staffs of Ministry, DCC or a neighbourhood

organization that “adopts” a public space can provide management. It doesn’t matter

as along as someone is identified who can be consistent in their efforts to make sure

something is always going on, and that the place is clean and well-maintained.

Strategic refining management is really giant task. Still, systematic approach

towards these problems will definitely pay off. Designers should lead conversations

during the design and input phases to determine ways to activate the space.

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7.5 Recommendations for Future Research For future research, there are two important areas that could be undertaken as

follows:

a) Study on space utilization by tourists: The aim of this study is to evaluate the

place experience of the tourists in Dhaka City. This type of study is usually

undertaken to get a general feeling on how place characters influence tourist’s place

experience, and to identify which place characters are considered important.

However, it does not cover the details of activities conducted by the tourists, which

may give further insights on how placemaking can be used as a mean to refine their

tourist experience. Further studies are suggested to investigate how urban spaces are

used by tourists for their activities, and which specific places need more attention in

enhancing its place characters.

b) In depth study on each of the place characters tested: An important finding in this study reveals that all the place characters tested are important characters in ensuring that the tourists gain the best experiences. The above finding demands an immediate investigation concerning the details as to how precisely their experiences can be refined. For example, how can a memorable place experience be created for the tourists? A qualitative research approach should help identify and address the problem in greater detail.

7.6 Conclusion

A place is made up of physical and social attributes, activities and is used by people. In the context of tourism, tourists come to a place to experience what the place has to offer, and from this, the tourists are engaged in “place experience”. The process of placemaking enhances, improves or modifies place characters. It is a tool to strengthen place characters in order to refine place experience. Placemaking is not limited to refining tourist experiences only, but is an approach that could be applied in any place-creation for all types of users. Placemaking is an important tool for tourism destinations like Dhaka, to ensure that the tourist attractions do not lose their local identity and design of tourist spots take into account their surrounding context, such as the local people and places.

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Through multiple place evaluation workshops, a variety of community stakeholders, public agencies, and private firms can produce a collective vision for a broad range of uses to draw people to the public squares or plaza.

The study reveals that the place characters are “important” to the tourists visiting Dhaka, therefore further development should continue from this direction. It is vital to provide what is important to the tourists to ensure that they make a return visit in the future. But what is equally important is to strengthen the local place characters of Dhaka. “Modernity coupled with an indigenous intelligence can guide Dhaka well in to the coming century.” (Shannon and Nilufar, 2008).

Through multiple place evaluation workshops, a variety of community stakeholders, public agencies, and private firms can produce a collective vision for a broad range of uses to draw people to the public squares or plaza. This approach can contribute effectively to the needs of the tourist, while the characteristics and uniqueness of the Dhaka as a tourist destination might be established.

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Appendix I : Questionnaire (A) Tour Operator Survey Questionnaire

TOUR OPERATOR SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE Refining Tourists’ Space Experience through Placemaking: a Study of Dhaka City

This survey is intended to understand your experience as tour operator in Dhaka City. Please take a moment to complete this form. Your evaluation is our most valuable sources of information. 1. Operator’s Name: 2. Years of Establishment: 3. Most popular tourist route in Dhaka: 4. Most popular places for tourist in Dhaka:

Shopping

Dining

Cultural Site Sight seeing Entertainment others

5. Tourist Demographics:

a. Country of Origin: b. Age: c. Gender: d. Education e. Occupation f. Purpose of visit g. Party Composition: h. Length of Stay/Service: i. Mode of transportation: j. Accommodation: i. Prior Experience in Dhaka:

6. What are the recommendations for improving place experience of tourists in Dhaka? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Thank You for Your Co-Operation & enjoy your day

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(B) City Dwellers Survey Questionnaire

CITY DWELLERS SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE Refining Tourists’ Space Experience through Placemaking: a Study of Dhaka City

This survey is intended to understand your experience as an inhabitant of Dhaka City. Please take a moment to complete this form. Your evaluation is our most valuable sources of information. Name: Gender: [ ] Male [ ] Female Age (years): [ ] < 20 [ ] 20-29 [ ] 30-39 [ ] 40-49 [ ] 50-59 [ ] 60 > Highest education background: [ ] No formal education [ ] Primary [ ] Secondary [ ] Certificate/Diploma [ ] Bachelor or Higher Occupation: [ ] Student [ ] Self-Employed [ ] Housewife [ ] Businessman [ ] Executive / Managerial [ ] Professional [ ] Retired [ ] Others: …………………………………………………….. Where are you staying in Dhaka City: ……………………………………………………

How do you spend leisure time in Dhaka City? [ ] Sightseeing [ ] Shopping [ ] Dining [ ] Visiting Friends/Relatives [ ] Clubbing [ ] Cultural programs [ ] Others …………………………….…………………………………………………….. Have you ever went abroad to spend your vacation? [ ] Never [ ] Once [ ] Twice [ ] Thrice [ ] More than three times Please mention the places you usually visit in Dhaka for spending time : Shopping Eating

Cultural

Site Sight seeing

Entertainment Others

What are the recommendations for improving place experience of tourists in Dhaka? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Thank You for Your Co-Operation & enjoy your day

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(C) Tourist Survey Questionnaire

TOURIST SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE Refining Tourists’ Space Experience through Placemaking: a Study of Dhaka City

This survey is intended to understand your experience as a visitor/tourist in Dhaka City. Please take a moment to complete this form. Your evaluation is our most valuable sources of information. Thank you for choosing to visit the city of Dhaka. 1.PLACE CHARACTARISTICS IMPORTANCE EVALUATION How important are the following place characteristics to you while visiting any place? Please [X] your answers. Rate of Importance (scale): [1] Very Unimportant [2] Unimportant [3] Neutral [4] Important [5] Very Important 1 The place gives you a variety of options to Choose. 1 2 3 4 5

2 The place gives you a sequence of experience, one after another. 1 2 3 4 5 3 The place gives you valuable memories or feelings 1 2 3 4 5 4 The place gives you an image of its own identity. 1 2 3 4 5 5 The place gives you new knowledge or awareness. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The place highlights different opportunities it can offer. 1 2 3 4 5 7 The place gives you a sense of active vitality. 1 2 3 4 5

2. PLACE CHARACTARISTICS EVALUATION

How would you evaluate the place characteristics that you have experienced in Dhaka City? Please [X] your answers. Rate of Evaluation (scale): [0] No Opinion [1] Strongly Disagree [2] Disagree [3] Agree [4] Strongly Agree 1 Dhaka gives you a variety of options to Choose. 0 1 2 3 4

2 Dhaka gives you a sequence of experience, one after another. 0 1 2 3 4 3 Dhaka gives you valuable memories or feelings 0 1 2 3 4 4 Dhaka has its own identity and image. 0 1 2 3 4 5 Dhaka gives you new knowledge or awareness. 0 1 2 3 4 6 Dhaka highlights different opportunities it can offer. 0 1 2 3 4 7 Dhaka gives you a sense of active vitality. 0 1 2 3 4 3. TOURIST EXPERIENCE

How would you evaluate your overall experience in Dhaka City? Please [X] Your answers. Rate of Evaluation (scale): [0] No Opinion [1] Strongly Disagree [2] Disagree [3] Agree [4] Strongly Agree 1 I get to do what I want to do here. 0 1 2 3 4 2 I enjoy my experiences here. 0 1 2 3 4 3 I would remember my activities here. 0 1 2 3 4 4 I am satisfied with my visit to Dhaka City 0 1 2 3 4 5 I would visit Dhaka City again. 0 1 2 3 4 6 I will recommend Dhaka City to my friends or relatives. 0 1 2 3 4 7 There are more scopes of refinement of place characters of Dhaka 0 1 2 3 4

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4. Evaluate your following experiences in Dhaka? Please [X] your answers. Rate of Evaluation (scale): [1] Very poor [2] poor [3] average [4] good [5] excellent 1 The quality of accommodation available here in Dhaka 1 2 3 4 5 2 The cleanliness and upkeep of the city 1 2 3 4 5 3 Tourists’ personal safety from crime 1 2 3 4 5 4 Accessibility of attraction points of the city 1 2 3 4 5 5 The level of crowding and congestion 1 2 3 4 5 6 The range of nightlife and entertainment available 1 2 3 4 5 7 The range of restaurants and eating establishment in the city 1 2 3 4 5 8 The pleasurability of leisure shopping within the city 1 2 3 4 5 9 The price levels of goods and services in the city 1 2 3 4 5 10 The city’s aesthetic value 1 2 3 4 5 11 The range of cultural and artistic amenities 1 2 3 4 5 12 The level of helpfulness among local people 1 2 3 4 5 5. TOURIST PROFILE Please [x] as needed or write your answer. Gender: [ ] Male [ ] Female Age (years): [ ] < 20 [ ] 20-29 [ ] 30-39 [ ] 40-49 [ ] 50-59 [ ] 60 > Country of residence: ……………………………………………………………………………. Highest education background: [ ] No formal education [ ] Primary [ ] Secondary [ ] Certificate/Diploma [ ] Bachelor or Higher Occupation: [ ] Student [ ] Self-Employed [ ] Housewife [ ] Businessman [ ] Executive / Managerial [ ] Professional [ ] Retired [ ] Others: …………………………………………………….. Main purpose of visiting Dhaka City: [ ] Sightseeing / Vacation [ ] Academic Visit [ ] Business [ ] Visiting Friends/Relatives [ ] Others …………………………………….…………………………………………………….. Traveling with: [ ] Alone [ ] Friends/Partner [ ] Family/Relatives [ ] In a big group (more than 5 people) Main mode of transport getting around Dhaka City: [ ] Walking [ ] Own/Rented Transport [ ] Public Transport [ ] Tour Bus/Coach

Where are you staying in Dhaka City: ……………………………………………………

How many times you have visited Dhaka [ ] First visit [ ] 2nd visit [ ] 3rd or more visits

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6. Please mention the places you have visited in Dhaka City: Tourist Attractions

Entertainment Area

Shopping Places Dining Area Others

6. What are the recommendations for improving place experience of tourists in

Dhaka? …………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………….......…………………………………………………………………

Thank You for Your Co-Operation & enjoy your day

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Appendix II: List of 100 Tourist Attraction Spots Selected by

Parjatan Corporation

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN DHAKA

Tourist Attractions: [ ] Ahsan Manjil [ ] Lalbagh Fort [ ] Curjon Hall [ ] Shankhari Bajar [ ] Bahadur Shah Park [ ]Central Shaheed Minar [ ] Bangabandhu Memorial Museum [ ]Nimtoli kuthi [ ]Tanti Bazar [ ]Babu Bazar [ ]Banglabazar [ ]The Cannon of Bibi Mariam [ ]Hossaini Dalan [ ]Old High Court Building [ ]East Bengal Brahmi temple [ ]Chak Bazar [ ]Armani Tola [ ]National Parliament House [ ] Three Leaders Mausoleum [ ] Bara Katra [ ]Chota Katra [ ]Ruplal House

[ ]Ramna Rescourse [ ]Rayer Bazar slaughter – house memorial (boddho vumi) [ ]Mertyred Inellectuals Memorial(Shaheed buddhijibi Graveyard) [ ]Jinjira Palace [ ]Rose Garden [ ]Lal Kuthi []Tomb of Bibi Champa [ ] Kamalapur Railway Station [ ] Chameli Bhaban [ ] JalladKhana Cenotaph [ ] Star Mosque [ ] Dhakeswari Temple [ ]Guru Duara Nanak Shahi [ ] Churihatta Mosque [ ] The Dargah of Mirpur [ ] JoyKali Temple [ ] Khan Muhammad Mridha Mosque [ ] Baitul Mukarram Mosque [ ] Shahi EidGah

[ ] Ramkrisna Mission [ ] Seven Domes Mosque [ ] Kortalab Khan Mosque [ ] Binod Bibir Mosque [ ]Musa Khan Mosque [ ] Armenian church [ ] Wari Narinda Christian Graveyard [ ] Chak Mosque [ ] Dhaka International Buddhist Bihara [ ] Azimpur Mosque [ ] Kasaituli Mosque [ ] Mosque of Haji Khaja Shabaz Educational/ cultural [ ] Dhaka University [ ] Novo Theatre [ ]Bangla Academy [ ] National Museum [ ] Public Library [ ] Liberation War Museum [ ] Shilpokola Academy [ ] Najrul academy

[ ]Jagannath College [ ] National Museum for Science and Technology Entertainment Area: [ ] Ramna Park [ ] Baldha Garden [ ] Botanical Garden [ ] Dhanmondi Lake [ ] Dhaka Zoo [ ] Wonderland [ ] Shishu Park [ ]Chandrima Uddyan [ ]Shyamoli Shishumela Shopping Places: [ ]Dhaka New Market [ ] Banga Bazar [ ]Bashundhara Garden City [ ] Aarong [ ]Gulshan 1 DCC Market [ ]Gulshan 2 Antique Market

149

Appendix III : List of Tour Operators

Serial no.

NAME ADDRESS PRODUCT/ services

1 A.B TOURS 18, Rajuk Avenue, 3rd floor, Lal bhaban,

Motijheel, Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 2 Abakash Parjatan Ltd. Al-Hajj Shamsuddin

Mansion ( 9th Floor) 17 (280 old) New Eskaton

Road, Moghbazar, Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service.

3 Adventure Escape Asia 24/2 Malibagh, Dhaka-1217

Special Interest Tours & tours related to different rural

development activities, volunteer services, village tours, cultural

tours, ethnic tours, river journeys, walking tours, cycling, trekking

and wildlife. 4 A. Itraco (Bangladesh)

Ltd. House-25, 1st floor, Road-

4, Block-F, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 5 Amazing Holidays 30/A NayaPaltan, Sattara

centre (13th Floor) Dhaka Sales & promotion of Inbound &

Outbound travel and tourism related product and service

6 Angel Tourism 14/A Meherba Plaza, 33 Topakhana Road, Dhaka

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 7 Asian Holidays A.R tower, 24 Kemal

Ataturk Avenue (6th Floor) Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 8 Autarky Tours

Bangladesh House-08, road- ,

Sonargaon Janapath, Uttara, Dhaka

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 9 Authentic Tourism

Network 1557 Agrabad Access

Road, Hajipara, Singapore Market(5th Floor) Room-

609,610, Chittagong

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service.

10 Bangladesh Ecotours 263 Jubilee Road, Tin Pool, Chittagong-4000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Services, Adventure & Ecotour Specialist

11 Bangladesh Resorts & hotels Ltd

Husna Centre Suite-208,106 Gulshan Avenue,

Dhaka

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, & Guide

Service. 12 Bangladesh Tourism

International 13/A Planner Tower Suite-14, 13th Floor, Sonargaon

Road,Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 13 BD Travel Homes Ltd House-13, road-06, Sector-

01,Uttara Model Town, Dhaka-1230

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 14 Bangladesh Travel Homes

Ltd House-20, Road- 12,

Sector-1(ground Floor) Uttara, Dhaka-1230

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise MICE Management &

Guide Service. 15 Bangladesh Travel

Planners Ltd Star net, Plot-97/A(2nd

Floor) Road-7, Sector-4, Uttar C/A, Dhaka-1230

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 16 Bhraman Bangla Hotel Farooq(3rd Floor), Package tour, Hotel Reservation,

150

Serial no.

NAME ADDRESS PRODUCT/ services

174, Nawabpur Road, Dhaka

Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service.

17 Binodon Transport & Tourism

4 Baitul Aman Masjid Market, Arambagh Police

Box, Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise Bus Service & Guide

Service. 18 Blue Marine Holidays 18, Rajuk Avenue, Lal

bhaban, Dhaka-1000 Package tour, Hotel Reservation,

Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service.

19 Bright Travels House-45, Road-27, Block-A, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise Air Ticketing & Guide

Service. 20 City Holidays Apt-12e # Subastu Nazar

Valley Tower-6, Progoti Soroni, Gulshan, Dhaka-

1212

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service.

21 Classic Tours & Travels 10 Taher Tower, 2nd Floor, Suite-313, Gulshan Circle-

2, Dhaka

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, Cycling

Tours River Cruise & Guide Service.

22 Coral Reef Tours & Travels

House-4, Road-13/B, Sector-6, Uttara, Dhaka-

1230

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 23 Creative Tours & Travels Office 1: 1046 Shewra

Para,(1st Floor) Office 2: 89(Basement), Aziz Super Market, Shahbag, Dhaka.

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service.

24 Crystal Tours & travels House-47, Flat-A1, Road-7, Block-G, Banani, Dhaka-

1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 25 C.T.B Limited 11-Eg Meherba Plaza(11th

Floor),33 Topakhana Road, Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 26 Delta outdoors House-71, Road- 13,

Sector-11, Uttara, Dhaka-1230

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour,

Adventure, Visa Assistance, Tourism Publication, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 27 Discovery Tours &

logistics House-59(4th Floor) , Road-4, Block-C, Banani, Dhaka-

1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise, air Ticketing & Guide

Service. 28 Discovery Tourism House-71(1st Floor) , Road-

7, Block-H, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 29 Discovery Bangladesh

Tourism Farmview Super Market(3rd Floor), Farmgate, Dhaka-

1215

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 30 Dream Travel & tour Lokman Tower, 1646 Sk

Mujib Road(6th Floor), Agrabad, Chittagong

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 31 Easy travel & Tour 262/2 New Elephant

Road(2nd Floor), Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 32 Entourage Priyo Prangan Tower, 12- Outbound, Inbound and Domestic

151

Serial no.

NAME ADDRESS PRODUCT/ services

24, House-19, Road-17, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Tour Operation.

33 Evergreen Tourism Network

Room No:508, 4th Floor, Ebrahim Mansion 11

Purana Paltan, Dhaka- 1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise, air Ticketing & Guide

Service 34 Excursion & Resorts

Bangladesh Ltd House-108, Flat-A2&B2, Road-8, Block-C, Banani,

Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Rent-A-Car & River Cruise

35 Explore Cruise Bangladesh

House-22, Road-19/A, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Rent-A-Car & River Cruise

36 Four Wheels G.P Chha-72, TB Gate, Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service. 37 Galaxy Holidays Limited Taj Cassilina(2nd Floor) 25

Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka-1212

Leading tour operator both outbound & inbound, hotel

reservation worldwide package tours MICE jungle safari park,

and services unlimited 38 Galaxy Travel

International Taj Cassilina(2nd Floor) 25 Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka-

1212

Airticket, Corporate Travel & Business Travel

39 Golden Holidays House-29, Road-20, Block-K, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service 40 Green Bangla Tours Room-S18(2nd Floor)

Muktijoddha Shopping Complex(opp: Haji Camp), Ashkonal, Airport, Dhaka-

1229

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service

41 Green Channel House-31, Road-1/a, Block-1, Banani, Dhaka-

1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service 42 Green Holidays Tours House-69/3, Road-7/a,

Dhanmondi, Dhaka Package tour, Hotel Reservation,

Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

43 Green Tourism 113 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Dhaka-1000

Inbound Tourism

44 Gungchil Tourism Zakaria Bhaban(4th Floor) 33/2 Shahid Nazrul Islam Road, Hathkhola, Dhaka-

1203

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service

45 Huen Tsang Tours And Travels

108/B, Siddheswari Inner Circular Road, Dhaka-1217

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service 46 Heaven Touch Tourism Hometown Apartments, 87

New Eskaton Road, Level -9, Suite-D, Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service

152

47 Heritage Holidays F.R tower, 24 Kemal Ataturk

Avenue (10th Floor) Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 48 I & A Travels Ltd. 99 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue,

Kawran Bazar, Dhaka-1215 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise Air Ticketing & Guide Service

49 Jaba Tour Limited Suite-305, Taher Tower Shopping Center, Gulshan Circle-2, Dhaka-

1212

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 50 Jasiqa Tours & &Travels Ltd. Plot-15, Road-17, Flat-C5-6,

BNashati Condominium, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, Medical Tourism, River

Cruise & Guide Service 51 Journey Plus Suite-40A, Aziz Super Market,

Shahbag, 1st Floor, Dhaka. Group Travel Organizer, Adventure & Eco Tourism Specialists, Customized

Holidays, Accommodation Reservation, City Sightseeing, River Cruise, Rent-A-

Car, Guide, MICE Management & Interpreter

52 K Line Air 5/F Chowdhury Center(5th Floor), 23ka New eskaton Road, Dhaka-

1000

Travel Agent and tour operator, PSA Star Cruise- The Leading Cruise Line

53 Keari Tours & Services Limited 133, Satmasjid Road, 27 Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1209

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 54 Lighthouse Group Tour Division BSRS Bhaban(6th Floor) 12

Kawran Bazar, Dhaka-1215 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

55 Lakeshore Tourism Bangladesh Hotel Chand(residential) 3rd Floor, 31/E Topakhana road, Dhaka-

1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 56 Lexus Tours & Travels Sonartori Tower(9th Floor), 12

Bipanon C/A Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, Air Ticketing, River Cruise & Guide Service

57 Maas Travels & Tours 101 Gulshan Avenue, RM Centre(5th Floor) Gulshan, Dhaka-

1212

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 58 Mangrove Tourism 95 New Eskaton Road, Helena

Center, 3rd floor, Room-16, Bangla Motor

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, Event Management, River

Cruise & Guide Service 59 Maple Tours & Travels House No-(53,55), Road No-3,

block-Niketon Society(Gulshan 1), Dhaka-1212

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, Air Ticketing, River

Cruise & Guide Service 60 Mermaid Travel Solution Mermaid Beach, Hotel Motel

Zone, Cox’s bazar Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

61 Miraculous Journey Road-3, House-20, Block-C, Banosree, Rampura, Dhaka-1219

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service

62 Mira Tours & Travels 173, Santanu Sarani, Reserve tank road (behind Brac office)

Picnic Package, Hotel Booking, Weekend Tour.

63 Mountain Club Tours 91 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue(4th Floor), Kawran Bazar, Dhaka-

1215

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service. 64 My Tourism Ltd. 15 Purana Paltan(2nd Floor)

Chowdhury Complex, Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 65 Naseeh Enterprise & Tourism

International Shatabdi Center(17th Floor), Suite-17K 292 Inner Circular Road, Fakirapul, Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 67 New Discovery Tours & Logistic House-13, Road- 08, Sector-1,

Uttara, Dhaka-1230 Inbound & Outbound Tour operator,

worldwide hotel reservation & ticketing 68 Nitol Tours & Travels R.C Concord Tower( Ground

floor) 17 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 69 Nora Travels Ltd Road-1/A, House-43, Block-

J,Baridhara Diplomatic Area, Dhaka-1212 , Dhaka-1219

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service

70 Nova Tours & Travels 95 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue(1st Floor), Kawran Bazar, Dhaka-

1215

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service

153

71 Novo Air Ltd. House-50, Road-11, Block-F,

Banani, Dhaka-1213 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

72 Novo Aviation Service Ltd. 270 Novo Tower(13th Floor) Tejgaon Ind. Area, Dhaka-1208

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 73 Oasis air Service 30/A, Naya paltan, Sattara

Center(9th Floor) VIP Road, Hotel Victory, Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 74 One Travel Planner Ltd 22, Gulshan North(8th Floor),

Circle -2, Dhaka-1212 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

75 Ornate Holidays 30, Bijoynagar, Dhaka-1000 Accommodation, Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour,

River Cruise & Guide Service 76 Petro Aviation Building-69/2, Level-3, Road-7/A,

Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1209 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

77 Reef Travels And Tours Meherba Plaza, suite-8/A(9th Floor), 33 Topakhana Road,

Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 78 Riverain Tours House-86, Road-08, Block-D,

Banani, Dhaka-1213 Package tour, Hotel Reservation,

Adventure Tour, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

79 Rokon Tourism (Pvt.) Ltd 218, Elephant Road, Sahera Tropical Center(4th Floor), Dhaka

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 80 Rupantor Eco Tourism 7, Haji Mohsin Road(1st Floor),

Khulna-9100 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

81 Safari Plus House-28, Road-17/A, Block-E, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 82 Saimon Overseas Ltd. House-4A, raod-22, Gulshan,

Dhaka-1212 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, Air Ticketing, River Cruise & Guide Service

83 Sarina Travel Logistics Event Solutions

Sarina Building, Plot-27, Road-17, banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 84 Sea Hill Tours & Travels Hotel Sea Palace, Kolatoli, Cox’s

Bazar Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

85 Shabaz Tourism Ltd. House-1, Lane-1, Block-A, West Bhatara, Baridhara, Natun Bazar,

Badda, Dhaka-1212

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 86 Silver Wave Tours Ltd. House-05(3rd Floor), Road-17,

Block-E, Banani, Dhaka-1213 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, Sport Tour, Adventure Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

87 Sky Holidays Park Plaza, Flat-N6, Road-17, 31 Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 88 Speed Holidays House-57(4th Floor), Road-13,

Block-E, Banani, Dhaka-1213 Inbound & Outbound Packages, City

Tours, Annual/ Family picnic, Honeymoon Packages, jungle Safari,

Worldwide Hotel Reservations & Transfers, Transport Cruise, Tailor- Made

Packages, Beach Holidays, Tea Tour, Cruise, Special Interest tours, Conference/Corporate Tours.

89 SSBCL Travel & Tourism 10 Dilkusha C/A, Jibon Bima tower(7th Floor), Dhaka-1000

Ticketing, Package Tour, Hotel Booking & Travel insurance.

90 Straight Way tours & Travels Delta Dahlia(10th Floor), 36 Kemal Ataturk Avenue, Banani

C/A, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 91 Subornorekha 620 Shaheenbagh, Lane-6,

Tejgaon, Dhaka-1215 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

92 Sundarban Tourist Complex 59 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue(1st Floor)West Tezturi Bazar,

Farmgate, Dhaka-1215

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 93 Sunfine Travels International 113, Kazi nazrul Islam Avenue,

Concord Tower(G.F), bangla Motor

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service

154

94 Sunity Overseas House-13/A, Road-18, Block-A, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 95 Sylhet Tourism Guide Sonargaon Center(2nd Floor),

Tamabil Road, Shibganj, Sylhet Regular package tour for Sylhet and

mazar ziarat, City sightseeing tour, River cruising, Tae garden package tour,

Shillong and Gohati tou every monday 96 Taj Travels & Tours 5/6 Kaiz plaza(ground Floor),

Zindabazar, Sylhet-3100 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

97 Talukder Travel-tours & Resorts Ltd.

57/12 East Raza Bazar(West Panthapath) Sonargaon Plaza(3rd

Floor), Dhaka

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 98 Target international Tours &

travel Kakoli- Shopping Center(6th

Floor), Zidabazar, Sylhet Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

99 Tepantor Porivraman Bashundhara city Shopping Mall, Level-5, Suite-94, Block-C,

dhaka-1215

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 100 The Bengal Tours Ltd House-45, Road-27, Block-A,

Banani, Dhaka-1213 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, Air Ticketing, Logistic support, River Cruise & Guide Service

101 The Guide Logistics 822 Kihlgaon, Block-A, Dhaka-1219

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 102 The Guide Tours Rob Bhaban(6th Floor), Plot-22,

Gulshan(north)C/A, Gulshan Circle-2, Dhaka-1212

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 103 The Tiger Trail House-7, Road-19/A, sector-4,

Uttara, Dhaka-1230 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

104 Tiger tours limited Room-605, Rob Super Market(5th Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 105 Time Travel & Tour 121, motijheel C/A, jiban Bima

Bhaban(Ground Floor), Dhaka-1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, Air Ticketing, River

Cruise & Guide Service 106 Tourist Club Treasure Island, 42-43,

Siddheswari, 3rd Floor, Circular road, Dhaka-1217

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, Tourism Publication River

Cruise & Guide Service 107 Tour Planners Ltd. 32, Alaol Avenue, Sector-6,

Uttara, Dhaka-1230 Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-

Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

108 Unique Tours & Travels 51/B, Kemal Ataturk Avenue, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Air Ticketing, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River

Cruise & Guide Service 109 Walton International Ltd. 1 shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed

saran(1st Floor), Moghbazar, Dhaka-1217

Air Ticketing, Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour,

River Cruise & Guide Service 110 Worldview 600, Sk Mujib road, Wali

Mansion(1st Floor), Chowmohani, Chittagong

Hajj & Umrah Package, Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

111 Word Air Package Tour House-20, Road-3, Block-C, Banasree, Rampura, Dhaka-1219

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service 112 Zastat Ltd.(Zakariya City) Khadim Nagar, Sylhet-3103 Accomodation, Package tour,

Hotel/Resort Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide Service

113 Bestway resort & Tourism Ltd. Priyo Prangan Tower, 19 Kemal Ataturk Avenue(5th-9th Floor),

Banani C/A, Dhaka-1213

Resort(proposed), Bordail, Cox’s Bazar

114 Chez Razzak Service House-169, Road-4, Padma Housing Estate, Rajshahi

Accommodation, F & B Services, Transfers, Rent-A-Car & Guide/Interpreter Service

115 Dreamland Amusement @ Water Park

Hilalpur, Gopalgonj, Sylhet-3100 Amusement Park

116 Hotel Holy Side Dargah Road(south), Sylhet Accommodation, F & B Services, Transfers, Rent-A-Car & Guide/Interpreter Service

117 Nazimgarh resorts Limited Nazimgarh, Khadim Nagar, Sylhet-3103

Accommodation, F & B Services, Transfers, Rent-A-Car & Guide/Interpreter Service

155

118 Prabartana Ltd 2/8, Sir Syed Road, Mohammedpur, Dhaka-1207

Gift Items & Handloom Fabrics

119 Royal resort BSRS Bhaban(6th Floor), Kawran Bazar, Dhaka-1215

Accommodation, F & B Services, Transfers, Rent-A-Car & Guide/Interpreter Service

120 SEL Nibash (Hotel & Service Apartment)

SEL Green Center, 30 Greenroad, Dhanmondi, Dhaka

Accommodation(Hotel & Service Apartment)

121 Shemana Pereye Resort Limited House-337(Gr Floor), Road-23, New DOHS, Mohakhali, Dhaka-

1206

Accommodation, F & B Services, Transfers, Rent-A-Car & Guide/Interpreter Service.

Cares and shares nature with you

156

Appendix IV: List of 10 Selected Tour Operators Serial

no. NAME ADDRESS PRODUCT/ services

1 Autarky Tours Bangladesh

House-08, road- , Sonargaon Janapath,

Uttara, Dhaka

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service. 2 BD Travel Homes

Ltd House-13, road-06,

Sector-01,Uttara Model Town, Dhaka-1230

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service. 3 Bangladesh

Travel Homes Ltd House-20, Road- 12,

Sector-1(ground Floor) Uttara, Dhaka-1230

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise MICE

Management & Guide Service. 4 Classic Tours &

Travels 10 Taher Tower, 2nd

Floor, Suite-313, Gulshan Circle-2, Dhaka

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, Cycling Tours River

Cruise & Guide Service. 5 Delta outdoors House-71, Road- 13,

Sector-11, Uttara, Dhaka-1230

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, Adventure, Visa

Assistance, Tourism Publication, River Cruise & Guide Service.

6 Evergreen Tourism Network

Room No:508, 4th Floor, Ebrahim Mansion 11

Purana Paltan, Dhaka- 1000

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise, air

Ticketing & Guide Service

7 Excursion & Resorts

Bangladesh Ltd

House-108, Flat-A2&B2, Road-8, Block-C, Banani,

Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Rent-A-Car & River Cruise

8 Explore Cruise Bangladesh

House-22, Road-19/A, Banani, Dhaka-1213

Package tour, Rent-A-Car & River Cruise

9 Four Wheels G.P Chha-72, TB Gate, Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212

Package tour, Hotel Reservation, Rent-A-Car, City Tour, River Cruise & Guide

Service. 10 Galaxy Holidays

Limited Taj Cassilina(2nd Floor)

25 Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka-1212

Leading tour operator both outbound & inbound, hotel reservation worldwide

package tours MICE jungle safari park, and services unlimited