Foreign travel rises, destinations shift

• Travel tax collection reached Tk 2,400 crore in last fiscal year, nearly quadrupled in five years

Md. Zahidul Islam

Since the shock of the coronavirus pandemic subsided, overseas travel by Bangladeshi citizens has been increasing. At the same time, the map of foreign travel has also changed after Sheikh Hasina fled the country. Until Ms. Hasina’s tenure, India was the main destination for Bangladeshi travellers. But now travel to countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand has increased. Government revenue from travel tax has nearly quadrupled over five years. In the latest 2025-26 fiscal year, Tk 2,400 crore was added to the government treasury from this sector. This information was also learned from National Board of Revenue (NBR) sources.

According to information related to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, a total of 12.72 million passengers travelled through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in 2025. Of them, around 10.312 million were passengers on international routes. In the same year, around 1.13 million workers went abroad from Bangladesh. However, this number of international passenger movements does not directly represent the number of Bangladeshis travelling abroad. It includes foreign nationals, the movement of expatriates and multiple trips by the same person.

However, government collection of travel tax has also increased in line with this upward trend in foreign travel. NBR data shows that Tk 675 crore in travel tax was collected in the 2021-22 fiscal year. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, it was Tk 1,482 crore; in the 2023-24 fiscal year, collection was Tk 2,257 crore; in the 2024-25 fiscal year, it fell slightly to Tk 2,111 crore. In the latest 2025-26 fiscal year, Tk 2,400 crore was collected. Accordingly, travel tax collection increased nearly fourfold over five years.

However, besides the increase in the number of passengers travelling abroad, the increase in the travel tax rate has also contributed to this growth in tax collection. At present, travellers by air have to pay Tk 2,000 in travel tax for SAARC countries, Tk 4,000 for Middle Eastern countries and Tk 6,000 for other countries.

Along with the increase in foreign travel, there has been a major change in the country’s people’s overseas movement over the past three years. Not only has the number of passengers changed, but travel destinations have also changed. At one time, India was the main destination for Bangladeshi travellers. But after the fall of the Awami League (whose political activities are currently banned) in the 2024 mass uprising, Sheikh Hasina and many top leaders of the party fled to India. As a result, relations between the two countries also fell to their lowest level in history.

Travel to India has declined sharply due to a loss of interest in travelling there and visa-related complications. In contrast, the presence of Bangladeshis has increased in destinations such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand.

An analysis of data from the past three years shows that India is the biggest example of a change in the destination of Bangladeshi foreign travel. Statistics show that 2,119,826 Bangladeshi citizens came to the country for various purposes in 2023. In 2024, the number fell to 1,750,165. In 2025, it declined further to 466,012.

Accordingly, the arrival of Bangladeshis in India fell by around 78 percent over two years. The impact became particularly clear after the mass uprising in August 2024. However, although travel to India declined, demand for foreign travel did not. Rather, Bangladeshis chose alternative destinations. In August this year, although the Indian government invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he rejected the invitation. Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Dhaka wants a favourable environment in Delhi before the visit.

The number of Bangladeshi tourists in Nepal has increased consistently. In 2023, 36,389 Bangladeshi tourists visited the country. In 2024, the number increased to 48,848 and in 2025 to 57,545. The same trend has been seen in Sri Lanka. In 2023, 17,846 Bangladeshi tourists visited the country. In 2024, the number increased to 39,555 and in 2025 to 59,563. The movement of Bangladeshis to the Maldives has remained comparatively stable. In 2023, 28,336 Bangladeshi tourists visited the country. In 2024, the number increased to 33,295. In 2025, it stood at 33,016.

Travel by Bangladeshis to Malaysia is also increasing. According to Tourism Malaysia, 142,748 Bangladeshi tourists visited the country in 2023. In 2024, the number increased to 143,919. In 2025, the number increased further to more than 280,000. Thailand has also emerged as one of the important alternative destinations. More than 140,000 Bangladeshis visited the country in 2025. Travel by Bangladeshis to the country is increasing for medical treatment, tourism, business and leisure.

Data from the past three years show that the trend of Bangladeshis travelling abroad has strengthened. Although travel from Bangladesh to India has declined, the presence of Bangladeshis in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand has increased. And the continued growth in travel tax collection has emerged as an important indicator of the increase in the country’s people’s overseas travel, alongside increasing government revenue.

Sector insiders say foreign travel does not mean tourism alone. A large number of Bangladeshis also travel abroad for medical treatment, education, business, employment, Hajj-Umrah and meeting relatives. The departure of around 1.13 million workers abroad in 2025 is a major example of this. The same person may travel abroad several times a year. Again, a Bangladeshi may visit more than one country.

Collection of travel tax is comparatively easy for the NBR. Airlines collect the travel tax from passengers when tickets are sold for air travel. Sonali Bank is responsible for collecting the tax for travel by land. Therefore, unlike ordinary income tax collection, there is no need to identify taxpayers and conduct field-level drives. However, the NBR has said that Section 147 of the Income Tax Act, 2023 will be applied to prevent evasion of travel tax. The relevant institutions and transactions are being monitored.

An NBR senior official, speaking to Inqilab on condition of anonymity, said travel tax collection is increasing on average every year. However, the issue of travelling abroad is mainly diplomatic. Due to the political change, travel by Bangladeshis to India, once the country they visited the most, is now at its lowest level. Travel to alternative countries is now increasing. This is a challenge in terms of diplomacy and relations with the neighbouring country.