Cox’s Bazar is the most go-to destination for holidaymakers, but it has not seen tourists since the end of last month due to the violent political movement and continued blockade program enforced by the BNP-Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties.
Bearing the toll of the political impasse are small traders like Mozammel, who earns his bread and butter by entertaining tourists with beach bike rides. The 16-year-old lives in a rented house in the city and has been in the profession for the last five years. But this year has been an exception.
“I haven’t seen such a slump in business in years. Businesses were low during the coronavirus pandemic. But I was able to pay my bills and feed my family. Now I have to borrow money to feed them. The situation has become dire for me,” he said.
There are over 200 beach-bike renters in Cox’s Bazar, many of whom are already looking for alternative sources of earning.
Tourists in Cox's Bazar love to ride horses on the beach. And this generates a substantial income for the horse owners. But in the past several days, their income has become thin.
Saiful Alam said he borrows a horse and provides horse-riding services on the beach every day. But the situation is so bad that he is unable to pay the horse owner the daily rent. This is all due to an insufficient number of tourists on the beach.
The other vendors and traders in Cox’s Bazar share the same fate whether it is a beach photographer or a tea stall owner.
Hoteliers said they have been experiencing a sudden slump in business since October 28 when the opposition BNP announced a hartal for the next day. The subsequent blockade programs, vandalism and arson frightened away tourists. Over 500 hotel and motel owners are now sitting idle with no income.
At least 50% of rooms are usually booked by tourists at this time of the year but this year the number has come down to 5-10%.
However, a handful of tourists were seen roaming around the city with distress visible on their faces.
One of them, Shahedul Islam, said he had come to Cox’s Bazar with his wife and was surprised to see the beach so empty. Shahedul said that although he and his wife had traveled via air to Cox’s Bazar, the entire trip was unsatisfactory as the city itself had fallen silent.
“We will cut the trip short and leave for Dhaka soon,” he said.
Salim Newaz, general secretary of Cox's Bazar Hotel-Guesthouse Owners Association, said: “The tourism business is not going well due to continued political programs. Our businesses are on the brink of collapse. We are calling on the authorities for a solution in this regard.”
Moukhim Khan, general secretary of Marine Drive Hotel-Motel Owners Association, said: “We have incurred a loss amounting to Tk1,000 crore due to continued blockades. Over 2.5 lakh people live on tourism in the city. All of them are now worried as there are no tourists in the city.”
He called on the opposition parties to keep vehicles carrying tourists out of the purview of their political programs.
Abu Morshed Choudhury Khoka, president of Cox’s Bazar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “The number of tourists coming to the city is disappointing. Businesses will incur huge losses if this situation prevails for a few more days.”