Hotel business in the capital is going through a lacklustre period as the foreigners visit came down drastically.
Industry insiders said the business is down by almost 50% over the last one month.
The number of garment buyers visiting the country has reduced due to fall in the ready-made garment orders.
According to Salman Kabir, assistant director of Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, the number of guests started falling at the beginning of Ramadan while ahead of Eid ul-Fitr the number fell drastically and the trend continues.
“The business is expected to rebound soon as the government offices have reopened,” said Salman.
Before Ramadan the average room occupancy rate was 80%, said an official of the hotel.
Zaireen Sultana Lupa, the marketing communications manager of Le Méridien Dhaka, said though the hotel was newly launched in Bangladesh, they made a brisk business during the off-peak hour.
“We hope the business will turn around as the Eid has ended,” said Lupa.
Besides, this is an off-season for tourists in Bangladesh as the rainy season has set in, said an official of Hotel Sarina.
According to sources, the number of room occupancy in Westin Dhaka also went down by 50%, which was 80% before Ramadan.
An official of Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel said their hotel room occupancy was 70% one month ago, which stands at 35% at present.
Although the government and private offices have opened, the business is yet to turn big profit, he said, adding that it will take one to two weeks more to get back on track.
Hotel Sarina also is also posting a bleak trade scenario over the last one month.
Its average occupancy rate now stands between 25% and 30% while it was 60% to 65% before Ramadan.
Abdus Salam Murshedy, former president of BGMEA, the apex trade body of apparel industry in the country, said the number of buyers visiting the country decreased significantly due to cancellation of ready-made garment orders.
“This was the peak time for garment buyers to visit Bangladesh, but the export growth has reduced due to lack of production capacity, fluctuation of exchange rate in Euro zone and closure of some factories in the wake of compliant issues.”
But unlike the hotel business in the capital, hotels in the Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati are making brisk business.
