I just realized that I've never seen Bangladesh mentioned on any travel boards. Is there some particular reason that people are interested in going there? Is there just nothing to see or is it too much like India so everyone goes there instead? It seems like a big enough country and close to other areas that people travel, so I'm surprised that nobody is going there.

Whoops, I meant to ask if there is any particular reason that people are NOT interested in going there. sorry!

Bangladesh is an exceptionally poor country. It has virtually no tourist infrastructure, and it has had the misfortune to be the site of a number of natural disasters in recent memory (floods and such). The only people I know who have been there are aid workers. Actually, I must admit that I have "been" there - on a refueling stop between Singapore and Kathmandu. They opened the door of the plane, and a man with a machine gun stood in the doorway while we were on the ground.

Thanks Kathie. I knew it was extremely poor, but I didn't think they were much worse off than India. I guess maybe they are. I had a Finance teacher from there last year and he made it sound like it wasn't really that bad!

My boyfriend from 12 years ago visited on a forced 5 day stopover en route on Biman from Athens to Hong Kong. At that time, he said it was a "sledge hammer to the head introduction to Asia." Everywhere else he went went shined bright in comparison. How much has changed in 12 years I don't know.

Nice description. I bet the rest of his travels were super easy for him after that!

Yes, they were. When he arrived in Hong Kong he stayed in a Chung King mansions guesthouse, and if you know anything about them, you'll appreciate that he thought it was luxurious in comparison to his room in Dhaka.

I really know nothing about Hong Kong, but I get the idea!

a friend from there told me that when he was home over new years that moves are a foot to create a new tourist infastructure, so we may be seeing more soon

We met a Swiss chap in Thailand last year who had visited Bangladesh.

He said it was one of the most difficult places he had travelled to. He said there were no tourists and everyone stopped and stared at him when he came into a village on a bus. He was 6 ft 4.

That must have been exciting though! I can only imagine what the language barrier must be like.

I passed through Dhaka several times years back, Bangladesh Biman used to be famous for cheap fares, their old DC10 fleet though seems to be grinding to a halt now.

Language in Bangladesh is not an issue at all if you speak English!
Down past Chittagong are some beach areas though I never ventured past Dhaka. The place has potential but lacks facilities for tourists, though business people travel frequently as big in the textiles industry. Dhaka has a Sheraton and a Radisson.
Thai, Singapore Airlines, China Eastern all fly in daily, Emirates go in at least once a day, Malaysian Etihad and Qatar Airways most days. Thai also fly into Chittagong. Lots of people from Bangladesh work in the Gulf.
It suffers greatly from floods in the Monsoon season as lying low. Still well off the tourist map. That's my few Bahts worth.

Thanks JamesA. I knew somebody on here had been there and knew a little about their infrastructure. It's nice to hear they speak English. Maybe that will help them when they finall get tourism off the ground there.

The guy we spoke to said langauge was a major issue outside of Dhaka. In fact he said it was impossible because he didn't read Bengali.

Yes - visited Bangla Desh 5 years ago. Reason? Had friends living and working in Dacca. Took a side trip on the way back from Europe to Oz and flew there and back from BKK.

Spent a week there. Had the luxury of staying at their place and sharing their world for a while.

We went out shopping and eating, meeting and greeting, but not always in a car. We walked sometimes and saw what there is to see - people living in the tiniest shelters next to stinking waterways.

I also took a trip out of town on my own as they were both working. Train up to Sylhet.

I could tell you how it didn't go according to plan. Train not even remotely on time - hours late - so just had to find somewhere to stay. Next morning back to the station for the return trip - no ticket - but with special dispensation from the station master got the seat nobody wants - next to the loo!

But I met some lovely people; and saw some of the countryside.

I don't suppose Bangla Desh could be called a tourist destination. If I had had longer I would have wandered more. But I am glad I went and in that flash memory that is the brain there are many images that I can recover at will.

And to answer your question, OP, it is like India insofar as the women wear saris. The cuisine is not dissimilar.

But it is Bangla Desh because politically it did not want to be India. And that is much too big a topic to be addressed here.

I posted a travelogue of Tripura, an Indian state bordering Bangladesh (in fact, Agartala, the capital, is within walking distance and has many day laborers from Bangladesh. Even though Bangladesh is not India, this will give you an idea of a nearby region:
epinigis.photosite.com
epinigis.wordpress.com

Thanks for the info. This is really interesting. At least now I'm learning why it's not so popular.

FYI Bangladesh used to be called East Pakistan. When Pakistan was born in 1947 during the partition with India there were two Pakistans, West and East. East Pakistan became an independent Bangladesh in the early 70's.

Hey, I didn't know that either. Good info!

You're welcome.