Entrepreneurs of Bangladesh's travel industry on Sunday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposed Travel Agency Registration and Control Ordinance 2025, labeling the draft ‘unrealistic, economically destructive, and potentially catastrophic.’
The members of the Association of Tourist Agent of Bangladesh also warned that it would lead to the imminent collapse of the industry.
They made the demands at a human chain held outside the National Press Club in the capital, organised by the ATAB Member Welfare Unity Alliance, an election panel of the association.
Moreover, a press conference and public signature program were also held at Jonaki Convention Center under the banner of the general ATAB members, led by its former president Abdus Salam Aref.
At both events, the industry leaders said that the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry’s proposed ordinance, intended to replace the 2013 law and its 2021 amendments, would effectively shut down nearly 5,000 travel agencies nationwide.
‘Such collapse would destabilise core services linked to aviation, tourism, labour migration and Hajj-Umrah operations,’ said Alliance convenor Jalal Uddin Tipu.
He also said that this ordinance would shut down the industry as several clauses in the draft reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of how the sector functions.
‘Many of the amendment proposals in the new ordinance do not align with reality, especially under Section 5, banning the purchase and sale of tickets from other agencies would make it impossible for ordinary travel agencies to survive,’ he added.
He also said that most agencies do not have direct ticket-issuing authorisation from airlines, making inter-agency ticketing a lifeline rather than a preference.
The proposed security deposit requirement, ranging from Tk 10 lakh to Tk 1 crore, places an ‘impossible burden’ on small and medium firms.
They also criticised Section 9, which would restrict business transfers to family members, bar recruiting agents from operating multiple services at the same address, and allow authorities to suspend licences without a hearing.
‘Under existing national law, multiple business licences at the same address are legal,’ Tipu said, adding that many recruiting and Hajj agencies have long provided travel services from shared offices, and this draft would make such practices illegal overnight.
On the other hand, Abdus Salam Aref said that the proposed requirement of Tk 10 lakh security deposit for offline travel agencies, the ban on agency-to-agency ticket transactions, and the increased jail and fine provisions are all unreasonable, impractical, and unfriendly to business.
He also demanded the immediate withdrawal of the disputed clauses.
At both events, they argued that any reform affecting thousands of businesses should be subject to parliamentary scrutiny under an elected government to ensure transparency and legitimacy.
After the human chain event organized by ATAB Alliance, a delegation led by Tipu submitted memoranda to the Office of the chief adviser, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, and the Ministry of Law Affairs.
At the general member›s press conference, they also collected the signatures during the mass-signature campaign and said that the signatures would be attached to a memorandum and submitted to the chief adviser on Monday.
In the memorandum, members warned that if enacted, the ordinance could lead to widespread closures, leaving owners, officials, and employees without work and causing significant disruption across the sector.
The document outlined multiple concerns, including inconsistencies within clauses, unreasonable financial obligations, criminalisation of inter-agency ticketing, restrictions on licence transfer, and operational barriers for recruiting agents, along with disproportionately harsh penalties.
The alliance urged the government to safeguard the industry›s stability and the livelihoods of thousands of workers dependent on the sector.
Leaders from the ATB and general members were also present at both events.
