Every year a large number of tourists from home and abroad go to Cox’s Bazar on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, the major festival for Muslims community, but this year is an exception because Jamaat called hartal on August 13 and 14. This time tourists are not coming as expected to the tourist city of world’s longest sea beach to celebrate the Eid vacation. Bandarban, another tourist spot is also experiencing the same situation.
Two day’s hartal, first called on August 12 and 13 by Jamaat-e-Islami and later rescheduled for August 13 and 14, have marred the hope of owners of hotels and motels.
The tourists who booked hotels have cancelled it due to hartals.
It is learnt that the tourists have already taken away Tk20m by cancelling hotel booking, according to our correspondent in Cox’s Bazar.
Mohammad Ruhul Amin, HR (admin) of Sea Place hotel in Cox’s Bazar, said the visit of tourists came to a standstill for the last six months due to political instability and various other reasons.
The owners expected they would cover loss during the festival vacation when the tourists would visit.
Front Desk Manager Abu Taleb of Hotel Cox Today said they returned 50% of the advance money due to hartal. Besides, the rest of the tourists are contacting every day to cancel their booking.
Finance Controller of Ocean Paradise Hayat Khan said his hotel was incurring a loss of Tk10m every month and it had been very difficult to continue hotel business.
According to sources of Cox’s Bazar tourism industry, about 700,000 tourists booked hotels and motels on the eve of Eid festival. About Tk20m was given in advance for booking purposes in around 400 hotels and cottages.
Cox’s Bazar Hotel Motel Association President Raza Shaha Alam said if there was no hartal, tourists would come as expected. Alam called upon all to keep Cox’s Bazar out of hartal and political activities.
Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Ruhul Amin said everything was going smoothly, but the upcoming shutdown acted as a bar to the tourists’ visit.
“I have talked to local leaders as to how the Cox’s Bazar can be kept out of political activities,” Amin said.
Bandarban did not see tourists visit the area for political unrest over the last five months causing a huge loss to local resorts. Many said Jamaat stopped the businessmen to push forward their business.
Meghla, Nil Achool, other tourist spots, hotels and motels of the district were found vacant.
The businessmen here said many tourists cancelled the pre-booked rooms in forty five hotels and motels of the district due to hartal.
Rahat Elahi, manager of hotel Hill View, said: “We cannot continue our business even after minimising our staff as we do not have sufficient income to continue the business.”
Asish Dhar, manager of Green Hill, said, “We are going through a very bad time. We have only received one booking although we have sixteen vacant rooms.”
Bandarban was treated as a peaceful tourist area as Rangamati and Khagrachori became notorious for issues like killing, abduction and extortion.
While visiting Nil Achool, Jannatul Tamanna, who came from Narsingdhi, said, “We were supposed to visit Bandarban after Eid but we have come now to avoid risk as there is hartal after Eid.”
The district Superintendent of Police Kamrul Ahsan said the security of the district had been beefed up although the businessmen feared for the tourists’ safety during Eid.
Once Bandarban lagged behind economically, but tourism brought its economic well-being.
People in the tourism business in the area claimed that they were in great loss due to political unrest.
