IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM) e-ISSN: 2278-487X, p-ISSN: 2319-7668. Volume 16, Issue 5. Ver. IV (May. 2014), PP 40-48 www.iosrjournals.org www.iosrjournals.org 40 | Page Heritage Tourism Marketing: Status, Prospects and Barriers Mahamudul Hasan 1 , Md. Imrul Jobaid 2 1 Lecturer, Department of Markeitng, Faculty of Business Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT), Postal Address: Room No. 509, Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT) 2 Lecturer, Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Studies, Jagannath University, 9-10, Chittaronjon Avenue, Dhaka- 1100, Bangladesh. Abstract: Heritage tourism marketing plays a significant role to attract tourists in heritage destinations. Bangladesh is endowed with historical and archaeological sites. The country has all the potential to be an important heritage destination in the world. Well-planned marketing of these heritage destinations is a primary requirement to attract both foreign and domestic tourists. There are some barriers which can impede successful heritage tourism marketing in Bangladesh. Lack of coordination among stakeholders, insufficient funding and providing less importance to the needs of the tourists can obstruct successful heritage tourism marketing. Developing creative promotional program, coordination among relevant stakeholders, conservation and protection of heritage sites and active participation of both private and public sector are necessary to implement heritage tourism marketing in Bangladesh. Keywords: Bangladesh, Tourism, Heritage Tourism, Heritage tourism marketing, Heritage tourism products. I. Introduction Visiting historical and archaeological sites is a popular tourist activity among tourists in the world. Heritage sites are attractive destinations for visit in almost every country for that reason the importance of heritage tourism is increasing day by day. Heritage tourism can be defined as visiting historical and archaeological sites for the purpose of acquiring knowledge or entertainment. Bangladesh is a small South Asian country that has a rich culture, history and archaeological sites which are very important heritage destinations in the world. This country has a great potential to become an important heritage destination in the world. Well- planned marketing program is essential to attract tourists in heritage destinations. Many developed and developing countries have successfully used marketing concepts and tools to attract heritage tourists in their countries. But heritage tourism marketing has not been given proper attention in Bangladesh and for that reason the number of heritage tourists is much less in this country than the neighboring countries such as Srilanka, Maldives, India and Bhutan. This study investigates the status, potential and barriers of heritage tourism marketing in Bangladesh. 1.1. Literature review Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes [1] (Understanding tourism: basic glossary, 2014). Tourism is a leisure activity which involves a discretional use of time and money and recreation is often the main purpose for participation in tourism[2] (Ghosh, 2001). Tourism is emerged from the movement of people to and their stay in various destinations. There are two basic elements in tourism, such as the journey to the destination and the stay. In short, tourism means the business of providing information, transportation, accommodation and other services to travelers [2] (Ghosh, 2001). Tourism industry includes all the socio-economic activities that are directly or indirectly involved in providing services to the tourists [3] (Dabour, 2003). Tourism can be classified into several distinct categories. They would include holiday travel, visiting friends and relatives (VFR), business travel, health treatment, shopping, conference, incentive travel, official mission, education, sport and others travel [4] (Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, 2004). Tourism marketing is an integrated effort to satisfy tourists by making available to them the best possible services. It is a device to transform the potential tourists into actual tourists. It is the safest way to generate demand and expand market[5] (Shamsuddoha, 2005). As an important element of Marketing Mix, promotion plays the vital role in tourism marketing as like any products and services. Tourists want to know about the attractions and facilities of a particular destination. They also desire to know about other related information of his or her visit to make the tour safe, secured and enjoyable [6] ( Ali and Parvin, 2010). When tourists plan for a trip, they look for available information, services and facilities, tour operators, things to see and do, safety and security, accommodation and transportation and others necessary information about the location from different sources. Internet is the mostly used media for getting information in this modern age.