Dhaka : The new Bangladesh Travel and Tourism Council (BTTC) has elected 17-member office bearers with Kazi Wahidul Alam, Editor of The Bangladesh Monitor, and Masud Hussain, Managing Director of Bengal Tours Ltd, as President and Secretary respectively. The election was held at the first general meeting of the Council, held on December 4 at InterContinental Dhaka.

Imran Asif, CEO of Air Astra, and Shakawath Hossain, CEO of Unique Hotel and Resorts, have been elected as Vice Presidents, Rezwan Maruf, Director-Sales and Marketing of InterContinental Dhaka as Joint Secretary, while Asif Ahmed, Acting General Manager of Pan Pacific Sonargaon, has been elected as the Treasurer.

Other members of the newly elected Executive Committee are Shahid Hamid, Acting Managing Director, Dhaka Regency Hotel and Resorts; Nasser Rahman, Managing Director, Dusai Resorts and Spa; Akhteruzzaman Khan Kabir, former CEO, Bangladesh Tourism Board; travel writer Faruq M Ahmed; Dr Rubina Hossain, Managing Director, Institute of Hotel Management and Hospitality; Prof Mujib U Ahmed, Dept of Tourism and Hospitality Management, DU; Ishtiaqu-ddin Ahmed, former Conservator of Forests; Basudev Bhattacharya, former Principal, National Hotel and Tourism Training Institute; Sadia Haque, Co-founder and CEO, Sharetrip; Taufiq Rahman, CEO, Journey Plus; and Syed Ghulam Qadir, General Manager, US-Bangla Airlines Holidays.

The purpose of the Council is to foster the development of the country's travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. This includes promoting sustainable growth, advocating for policies that support the industry, providing a platform for collaboration, and elevating the country's global standing as a premier travel destination in South Asia, said a release.