The recent landslide in Rangamati, which claimed the lives of 116 people including four army officials, is causing huge loss in the tourism industry in the area during the Eid vacation.
Tourists, who were scheduled to visit Rangamati to celebrate Eid vacation, are cancelling their trips as the road communication between Rangamati and Chittagong was severely hampered due to the landslide and is yet to be fixed.
Most of the hotels and motels in the town have been facing cancellation of room bookings for the last two to three days. The hotel owners expressed their fear of further losses in the season if the situation does not get better.
Many tourists come to Ragamati to spend their Eid vacation
Photo: Wiki Media CommonsJalal Uddin Md Akbar, general manager of Rangamati Parjatan Corporation, said: "We have two hotels with 80 rooms and 70% of which were booked before the landslide. But we have no guest now. The tourists who paid money in advance, are cancelling their bookings.”
According to the Hotel Owners Association of Rangamati, Rangamati has at least 40 hotels which accomodate around 2500 people.
Ragamati has undergone massive damage due to the recent landslide
Photo: Wiki Media CommonsThe Joint Secretary of Rangamati Residential Hotel Businessmen Association, Nesar Ahmed, said: "Many tourists have booked rooms in different hotels during the Eid vacation as many prefer to visit Rangamati in monsoon. But, now we are going through uncertainty as the road connection with Chittagong is severed.”
“The tourism industry of Rangamati would face Tk25 lakh loss every day if the scenario does not change. We expected around 10,000 tourists during the vacation,” he added.
Many tourists have cancelled their hotel bookings in Ragamati which has undergone a massive landslide
Photo: Wiki Media CommonsAmdad Hossain, executive engineer of Rangamati Road Division, said: “Roads and Highways Department and Bangladesh Army are jointly working to restore the road that links Rangamati with Chittagong. Around 150 meters of road are totally damaged at Shalbagan Police Camp area. We are trying to renovate it through dumping soil on the collapsed part.”
Besides, many tourist spots are at risk in Rangamati for the tourists after the landslide. The main pillar of the Hanging Bridge over Kaptai Lake was found damaged as a 20 feet hill collapsed near the spot. Red flags were hoisted for alerting people in the fear of another landslide near the bridge. Apart from that, a big portion of the hill collapsed near the Notun Parjatan Hotel rending it risky.
Also Read: Landslides latest update: Death toll rises to 161Rangamati landslide damage yet to be assessedRelief comes late to Rangamati Heavy rain, alarm in Rangamati