[🇧🇩] Bangladesh Tourism

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Cox's Bazar bustling with tourists during Durga Puja holidays

Cox's Bazar is witnessing a surge in tourist arrivals during the Durga Puja holidays, with concerns following a deadly resort fire easing and hotels reporting increased bookings. Tourism-related businesses expect at least 1 million tourists to visit the beach town during the 10-day holiday period

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Cox's Bazar bustling with tourists during Durga Puja holidays


Cox's Bazar is witnessing a surge in tourist arrivals during the Durga Puja holidays, with concerns following a deadly resort fire easing and hotels reporting increased bookings.

Tourism-related businesses expect at least 1 million tourists to visit the beach town during the 10-day holiday period through October 25, generating Tk 9 billion to Tk 10 billion in business, reports BSS.

Concerns over tourist arrivals arose after a fire broke out at TupTup Resort in Inani on October 17, leaving 10 people dead.

However, hotel owners said tourist numbers had increased over the past two days.

Abul Kashem Sikder, president of the Cox's Bazar Hotel and Guesthouse Owners Association, said about 95 percent of rooms at more than 20 star-category hotels and 80 percent at medium-sized hotels, guesthouses and cottages had been booked in advance.

At least three lakh tourists visited the beach during the three consecutive holidays on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, according to local businesspeople.

Beaches at Laboni, Sugandha and Kalatoli were crowded on Tuesday, with visitors enjoying the sea and various beach activities.

Deputy Commissioner Md A. Mannan said the administration had taken necessary measures to ensure tourists' safety, prevent harassment and excessive charges, and maintain order during the holidays.

Durga Puja is being celebrated at 324 mandaps across the district. Following Vijaya Dashami rituals on October 21, at least 400 idols will be immersed in the sea at the beach. Organisers expect 250,000 to 300,000 people to attend the event.

Uday Shankar Pal Mithu, acting president of the Cox's Bazar District Puja Celebration Council, said preparations were underway to hold the immersion festival peacefully, with support from the administration, law enforcement agencies and political parties.​

 

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Unlocking tourism sector's potential

As Bangladesh aspires to graduate from the United Nations' Least Developed Country (LDC) category and become a middle-income economy, diversifying its sources of economic growth has become imperative. Tourism, a major driver of economic growth worldwide, has helped countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepa

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Unlocking tourism sector's potential

As Bangladesh aspires to graduate from the United Nations' Least Developed Country (LDC) category and become a middle-income economy, diversifying its sources of economic growth has become imperative. Tourism, a major driver of economic growth worldwide, has helped countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand and the Maldives strengthen their economies by capitalising on their natural and cultural attractions. However, despite its abundant natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, Bangladesh has failed to unlock the full potential of its tourism sector. The World Economic Forum's recently published Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI), which places Bangladesh at 98th position among 110 economies, highlights the challenges facing the country's tourism industry. There is no dearth of tourist attractions in Bangladesh, and its people are known for their hospitality. What the country lacks is a well-planned approach to developing tourist sites, improving infrastructure and strengthening the tour-operating industry.

The recent fire at a resort in the Marine Drive area of Cox's Bazar, which claimed 10 lives, exposes gaping holes in tourist safety and security regime. The resort reportedly had neither a fire safety certificate nor adequate fire safety measures and continued operating defying warnings from regulatory bodies. Such instances of flagrant violation of safety standards, however, are not isolated ones. A recent report suggests that a majority of about 600 hotels, motels and resorts in Cox's Bazar lack mandatory fire safety licences, environmental clearances and construction approvals. This indicates that rules and regulations exist largely on paper, and are hardly enforced, giving rise to haphazard development of tourist sites. Moreover, incidents of robbery and snatching, tourists drowning in the sea and women facing harassment further undermine visitors' sense of insecurity. Besides, touts offering various services have also become a major nuisance at tourist destinations. The government has introduced tourist police to ensure visitors' safety and security, but recurrence of such incidents raises questions about security mechanism at tourist sites.

These safety and management failures also bring into focus the shortcomings of the government institutions responsible for developing and promoting tourism. In this context, lacklustre performance of the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC), the state agency entrusted to promote tourism and facilitate travel, is particularly concerning. The BPC operates hotels, motels, resorts and restaurants in prime locations across the country's major tourist destinations. However, the corporation is reportedly running at a loss, suggesting that its resources are not being utilised to their full potential. The root cause of the BPC's poor performance lies in its operators' traditional bureaucratic mindset. Rather than adopting a business-oriented approach, the agency operates like any other government agency, with little emphasis on marketing or innovative ideas to cater to the tourists' needs.

In an increasingly competitive market, such bureaucratic inertia is counter-productive. Bangladesh needs a tourism authority that actively promotes its attractions, improves service standards, develops attractive travel packages and responds to changing market demands. Reform must begin with a shift in institutional mindset, replacing bureaucratic inertia with professionalism and innovation. Bangladesh cannot expect its tourism industry to flourish without a dynamic and effective institution to drive its growth.​