American
International
University-
Bangladesh

Students & Supervisors

Abstract

Background: The ""Beautiful Bangladesh"" destination branding campaign created by the Bangladeshi government in 2011 brought renewed attention to the country's travel and tourism industry. The campaign coincided with the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup held in Bangladesh, as many national governments promoted their respective countries during the event. Prior to the brand campaign, however, Bangladesh was not widely recognized for its attractions due to global perceptions of political unrest and a lack of basic infrastructure. Using UNWTO, World Bank, Bangladesh Tourism Board, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, and Worldwide Governance Indicators databases, this paper analyzes how the ""Beautiful Bangladesh"" branding campaign has affected the demand for international travel to Bangladesh. Objective: This study examines the relationship between international tourist arrivals in Bangladesh and the “Beautiful Bangladesh” branding policy from 1995 to 2024, considering GDP growth, tourism marketing expenditure, and government investment in tourism infrastructure. It also evaluates the campaign’s impact on foreign visitor spending and provides recommendations for future destination branding strategies. Methodology: The effects of the post-2011 international tourism campaign, tourism marketing spending, GDP growth, and political stability on foreign visitor arrivals are investigated in this study using time-series econometric techniques such as OLS regression, ARIMA forecasting, and Granger causality testing. The Bangladesh Tourism Board, MoCAT, World Bank WDI, UNWTO, and Worldwide Governance Indicators are the sources of the data. Results: The results indicate a statistically significant positive association between the launch of the “Beautiful Bangladesh” campaign and international tourist arrivals. Post-2011 periods show an average increase in tourist inflows relative to pre-campaign trends (β ≈ 45,200, p < 0.01). Tourism marketing expenditure also demonstrates a positive effect, while political instability exhibits a negative association with arrivals. Tourism receipts increased substantially during the post-campaign period, suggesting positive spillover effects from increased international visitation. Conclusion: The study's results indicate that there is a strong link between the ""Beautiful Bangladesh"" campaign and increased levels of foreign tourists visiting Bangladesh. The results support destination branding as an effective way to attract international tourists to a country when done alongside good government and continuous marketing support. In order to support future growth in tourism, the government needs to develop its digital branding strategies and continue to implement institutional level reforms. These actions will further help develop a positive global image of Bangladesh as a tourism destination.

Keywords

Publication Details

• Type of Publication:
• Conference Name: RMSTU National Tourism Conference 2026 - "Tourism Tomorrow: Nature's Next fleck to explore"
• Date of Conference: 16/01/2026 - 16/01/2026
• Venue: Rangamati Science and Technology University, Rangamati Sadar, Rangamati-4500, Bangladesh
• Organizer: Rangamati Science and Technology University