Domestic tourism heats up this winter
If you call your friends and relatives, you may find that some are off in the hills of Sajek valley of Rangamati or the sandy beaches of Cox's Bazar and other tourist hotspots across Bangladesh.
This is because educational institutions in the country have all closed for winter vacation, signalling the start of the main holiday season as families rush to enjoy the rest of 2024 amid the winter weather.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The local tourism industry was suffering from apprehension over the loss of business amid a long recession stemming from mass unrest, which began in July.
But business has been recovering since September and is now ongoing at full-swing, industry people said, adding that India's recent visa ban on Bangladeshi nationals has helped bolster domestic tourism.
The return of tourists has enabled hospitality service providers, such as hotels and restaurants, to hope for the recovery of losses sustained due to political turmoil in the third quarter of the current calendar year.
"We are totally full of tourists now. The flow of tourists in December exceeded our expectations," said Abul Kashem Sikder, president of the Cox's Bazar Hotel Guest House Owners Association.
"However, the tourists' purchasing capacity seems to have been eroded by high inflation," he added.
He informed that the overall occupancy rate of hotels, resorts and guest houses in Cox's Bazar, the country's most popular tourist spot, has reached around 80 percent on weekdays and about 100 percent on weekends.
"But the flow of tourists has not increased compared to the previous December," Sikder said.
This year, a number of events, including the national elections, unfavourable weather, recurrent floods, political turmoil centing the Awami League's ouster and deterioration of law and order, affected domestic tourism.
"We had a dull period during July-September. But business started picking up in October and is now good," said Abdul Awal, group director (sales and marketing) of Sea Pearl Resorts and Spa in Cox's Bazar.
"It appears that the limited visa issuance by India has had a positive effect on the tourist flow," he added.
Industry people say that around 2 lakh tourists are visiting Cox's Bazar each day now, leaving its beaches packed with thousands of visitors, who are enjoying the wind and waves.
Mohammad Faruq, a member of Sea Safe Life Guard, estimated that around 80,000 tourists are now on the beaches of Cox's Bazar during peak hours.
In fact, the number of visitors is so high that some are struggling for accommodation.
Hasan Mir, a tourist from Gopibag of Dhaka, said he and his family came to Cox's Bazar without booking a hotel and had to suffer before finding a suitable hotel.
Tayen Ullah, the owner of Mermaid Resort Saint Martin, said around 2,000 tourists are coming to Saint Martin every day.
"But the number is not enough for locals to run their families round the year. Many hotel owners could not find guests. However, beach side hotel and resort owners are doing good business," he added.
Mirza Musfequr Salahin, chief executive officer of Travel Together and Ruilui Resort at Sajek, said the tourist flow recently increased.
"You will find many tourists on the streets of Sajek looking for hotels," he added.
However, he also said that it is normal for people to make a mad dash for tourist spots every December.
"We have not seen much of rush this year, particularly in the hills," he added.
According to our correspondent in Patuakhali, the number of people visiting the seaside town of Kuakata has increased amid the ongoing winter vacation and typically peaks on Fridays and Saturdays.
Motaleb Sharif, president of the Kuakata Hotel Motel Owners Association, said they hope the seasonal traders will be benefit from the current influx of tourists.
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