Every year practitioners from all over the world visit ASA to gain practical exposure on ASA's self sustainable microfinance model. This provides visitors an excellent opportunity to observe the operation at micro level as well as share views and thoughts with ASA practitioners.

Duration

For the last couple of years, ASA has been accommodating teams from different countries every month. In our experience, typical visit duration is 7 days which consists of meetings with experts at ASA central office along with urban and rural branch visits to see group lending activities and branch management system.

Duration and content of visitors' Training / Workshop / Field Study can be organized according to their need and demand.

Exposure Visit Fees

Number of Visitors	Fees	Remarks
1 - 2 foreign visitors	USD  30	Per person per day (without food / accommodation / transportation & publications)
3 - 5 foreign visitors	USD  25	Per person per day (without food / accommodation / transportation & publications)
5+ foreign visitors	USD  20	Per person per day (without food / accommodation / transportation & publications)
For local visitors	BDT 500	Per person per day (without food / accommodation / transportation & publications)

 

Accommodation Cost:

The following table shows the category-wise daily hotel rent (in Dhaka):

GRADE	RATE
Grade - A	USD 95 to $170
Grade - B	USD 65 to $90
Grade - C	USD 30 to $65

Please note that this indicates approximate cost range as it stands in August 2008.

Transportation Cost (approximate):

Seven to Twelve seated 4 wheel micro and dual AC car can be rented within USD 40 to USD 45 - without fuel. Total cost can be around USD 60 per day even for a long drive.

An the same time you can enjoy a rickshaw, 3 wheeler auto rickshaw and Taxicab services within Dhaka metropolitan area.

Fare is very reasonable, for rickshaw per trip - BDT 10 to 30, for 3 wheeler auto rickshaw - BDT 50 to 100 and for the Taxicab - BDT 100 to 400.

TRANSPORTATION	RATE	REMARKS
Microbus (7-12 seats with dual AC)	USD  40 to 45	Per day with fuel USD 60
Taxicab (4 seats)	USD  25 to 30	Per day with fuel USD 40
Taxicab/CNG (3 seats)	Distance-wise reasonable fare	--
Others (rickshaw/bus/train)	Distance-wise reasonable fare	--

 

Food Expenses:

During a visit to Dhaka city, one can find all types of food and drinks over here, including Continental, Chinese, Indian to low cost Bangladeshi restaurants with delicious dishes. Prices vary from around USD 2 to USD 10 per meal.

Country Information

You can obtain detailed country information about Bangladesh - including history, geography, travel advice and politics - from various sources on the Internet including Wikipedia and Lonely Planet.

Currency:

The principal unit of currency in Bangladesh is the Taka (BDT) and the Taka is divided into 100 Paisa. At the moment, in September 2008, Bangladeshi Taka is pegged at BDT 68 to the US Dollar (USD). You can get updated rates at XE.com.

Contact Information:

You can contact us at exposure@asa.org.bd