Desk Report,
Two-day Tourism Architecture Summit begins in Cox’s Bazar
The two-day ‘Discourse by the Shore: Tourism Architecture Summit-2025’ is starting for the first time in Cox’s Bazar. The conference will begin on July 11 at the eco-friendly ‘Mermaid Beach Resort’ on the Pyanchar Dwip beach on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive. It will end on July 12.
Two-day Tourism Architecture Summit begins in Cox’s Bazar
Organized under the supervision of architect Marina Tabassum, the conference will mainly discuss eco-friendly tourism and climate.
More than five hundred hotels, resorts, guesthouses, cottages and several hundred restaurants have already been built in Cox’s Bazar in an unplanned manner. Due to the lack of proper waste management, the city’s main roads, beach roads and alleys are submerged in an hour of rain. Hotel and restaurant waste is spread into the sea and rivers. This is causing serious damage to the environment. The natural environment of Cox’s Bazar, which is most at risk due to the effects of climate change, is also being destroyed in various ways. New areas are not being created for the entertainment of tourists who come to visit.
Follow

A two-day ‘Discourse by the Shore: Tourism Architecture Summit-2025’ will begin on July 11 at this Mermaid Beach Resort in Penchar Dwip, Cox’s Bazar. Photo: Prothom Alo
The two-day ‘Discourse by the Shore: Tourism Architecture Summit-2025’ is starting for the first time in Cox’s Bazar. The conference will begin on July 11 at the eco-friendly ‘Mermaid Beach Resort’ on the Penchar Dwip beach on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive. It will end on July 12.
Organized under the supervision of architect Marina Tabassum, this conference will mainly discuss eco-friendly tourism and climate.
More than five hundred hotels, resorts, guesthouses, cottages and several hundred restaurants have already been built in Cox’s Bazar in an unplanned manner. Due to the lack of proper waste management, the city’s main roads, beach roads and alleys are submerged in an hour of rain. Waste from hotels and restaurants is spread into the sea and river water. This is causing serious damage to the environment. The natural environment of Cox’s Bazar, which is most at risk due to the effects of climate change, is also being destroyed in various ways. New areas are not being created for the entertainment of tourists visiting the city.
The two-day conference will explore how architecture can support sustainable tourism and highlight environmental balance and cultural heritage. Renowned architects of Bangladesh will discuss the connection between sustainable tourism, facility construction, coastal resilience and local reality-based architectural practice.
The conference will begin with a panel discussion titled ‘Ecotourism and Sustainability in Architectural Practice’. Architects Marina Tabassum, Khondaker Hasibul Kabir and Ehsan Khan will be present. Seven architects will present their presentations in the afternoon. Later, a guided sunset meditation will be followed by a design in the natural environment.
On the second day, 10 more architects will present their ideas in two sessions. The conference will conclude with an open floor panel discussion moderated by Mahmudul Anwar Riyad and Nahas Khalil. Marina Tabassum will summarize the conference in her closing remarks.
Anisul Haque Chowdhury, Managing Director of Mermaid Beach Resort, the organizer of the conference, said that Cox’s Bazar is still a developing region and this conference will play a very important role in building an environmentally friendly Cox’s Bazar. Architects working in coastal, cultural and sustainable contexts will participate in the conference. They will reimagine the role of architecture in tourism-based development.
