The holidays on the occasion of Durga Puja along with the weekends led a holiday period for several days at a stretch in the country. A large number of tourists thronged Cox’s Bazar, where the longest natural sea beach of the world.
All the hotels of the town are fully booked for Friday and Saturday. Special measures have been taken to ensure the safety of tourists. The number of tourists in Cox’s Bazar has increased as travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts has decreased.
The holiday of four days has encouraged families to flock to Cox's Bazar. Besides Cox’s Bazar sea beach, popular spots like Himchari, Inani, and Daria Nagar Patuar Tek are bustling with visitors.
On Thursday evening, tourists Rahim Afroz, Shahriar Nafis, and Imam, who traveled from Narayanganj, said they, 20 friends along with their families, have come to Cox’s Bazar to enjoy the holiday. They are getting relief from the scorching heat at the sea water, they said.
Tourists Nahida, Sumi, and Faisal, who came from Sylhet’s Balaganj, said that they came to Cox’s Bazar after a long time as they got the holiday. They are passing good time forgetting all exhaustion, including their work pressure.
Former president of the Tour Operators Association, SM Kibria, said that many tourists have come to Cox's Bazar through us. Many tourists are now in Cox’s Bazar cancelling their tour to Chittagong Hill Tracts. The number of tourists in Cox’s Bazar has increased as the tourists were discouraged to travel Chittagong Hill Tracts. However, our bookings would have been more if the tourists could go to the Saint Martin’s island, he added.
Comrade Kalim Ullah, president of the Cox's Bazar Hotel-Motel Zone Officers’ Association, said 100 percent booking of all hotels has been completed for Friday and Saturday. It is bit less for Thursday and Sunday. However, the overall business would be good this season.
There are 450 hotels, motels and guest houses in Cox's Bazar. Among these, 50 hotels are star-rated. Abdul Kaiyum Chowdhury, vice president of the Hotel Owners’ Association, said that the star-rated hotels are fully booked.
Rashedul Islam Dalim, general secretary of the Cox's Bazar Restaurant Owners’ Association, said we have around 350 restaurants. All the restaurants have reopened after a long time. Many of our restaurants were shut due to the downturn of the business. Hopefully, now the business will be good, he added.
Abul Kashem Sikdar, president of the Cox's Bazar Hotel-Motel Guest House Owners’ Association, expressed hope of recovering previous losses as they received good bookings during this holiday.
Abdul Kader Mishu, director of star-rated hotel Ocean Paradise Limited, highlighted the struggles faced by the tourism sector since 2012, noting that without regular business, running organization by loans is like "keeping an elephant as pet."
He mentioned that they achieved 95% bookings during this four-day holiday and expect 80-85% until October 19. To revitalize tourism, many establishments are offering discounts of up to 50%, alongside a special Hilsa festival running until October 20, showcasing eight varieties of Hilsa dishes at affordable prices.
Tourist police are working to ensure the safety of the visitors.
Tourist Police Cox’s Bazar Region, Superintendent of Police, Al Asad Muhammad Mahfuzul Islam, said members of Bangladesh Army are also with us to ensure security for the tourists. We are utilizing technology to ensure security measures. The ongoing patrols will be continued, he added.
Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Salahuddin said that the district administration has started special monitoring due to the presence of large number of tourists during the holidays on the occasion of Durga Puja. Mobile courts to ensure that visitors should not face any harassment.
