Abstract:
The National Botanical Garden, Mirpur (Bangladesh), was established in 1961 with a wide landscape of 214 acres. The garden is located in one of the fastest-developing communities of Mirpur 1, at the center of the capital, Dhaka. The garden has a large herbarium with 100,000 samples, including rare collections of mammals (70 species), birds (190 species), and various plants and trees (1042 species), as well as six water bodies. Despite such a wonderful collection, the garden attracts only about 100,000 visitors annually. The main visitors are local senior citizens, some students, and a couple of tourists, according to witnesses. However, reports say the ecotourism market valuation was USD 235.54 billion in the year 2023. It is expected to reach around 665.20 billion USD within this decade (till 2030). Additionally, global market reports say that garden tourism alone accounts for USD 5.02 billion of the ecotourism industry. Besides these, scholars have reported that the current generations (Millennials and Generation Z) have serious concerns and an attraction to natural sustainability, as well as sensitivity to animal lives worldwide. Considering the potential of the botanical garden in Dhaka, the authors found that a gap in public relations and marketing is a major barrier to the garden reaching its full capacity as a tourist attraction. This paper is based on a systematic literature review (SLR) and participant observation to analyze the current situation and develop a marketing model specific to the national botanical garden in Mirpur.
