Bangladesh urges nationals to vote for its nominees for New 7 Wonders of Nature

DHAKA, March 20 -- The Bangladeshi government has called on its nationals to vote for two Bangladesh spots nominated to participate in the on-line New 7 Wonders of Nature competition, private news agency UNB reported on Friday.

Bangladesh's Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister GM Quader Friday urged the people to cast their votes online to support the Cox's Bazar sea beach and Sundarbans mangrove forest to increase country's image abroad as a country of natural beauty.

Quader made the remarks while inaugurating a rally organized by "Golden Bangladesh," a social organization, as part of a campaign to encourage people to vote for the two nominees -- Cox's Bazar and Sundarbans.

The "New 7 Wonders of Nature" online search is organized by the non-profit New 7 Wonders Foundation, which also undertook the "New7 Wonders of the World" search which was rounded up in 2007.

Cox's Bazaar sea beach, in southeastern part of Bangladesh, is claimed to be the world's longest natural sandy sea beach.

The Sundarbans delta in the country's southwestern part is the largest mangrove forest in the world, spreading across parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India.

Quader said foreigners know Bangladesh as a country of natural disaster or political turmoil despite its tremendous natural beauty and they do not feel encouraged to visit Bangladesh for lack of proper campaign projecting the country's natural beauties.

He said the government would launch a campaign to encourage people to vote for Cox's Bazar and Sundarbans as New 7 Wonders of Nature.

"Simultaneously, the tourist spots would be preserved so that the tourists can enjoy the beauty of nature," the tourism minister was quoted as saying.

The "New 7 Wonders of Nature" will be selected through online voting. The aim of the search is to create public awareness and contribute to the protection of the world's natural heritage and foster respect for cultural diversity, according to the foundation.

The list of nominees and the mechanics for voting are posted on the poll's website www.new7wonders.com.

The top 7 nominees will be officially declared the "New 7 Wonders of Nature" by the year 2011.