Tourist turnout lacklustre ahead of Eid

Hospitality service providers in Cox's Bazar are not expecting an onrush of tourists amid the upcoming holiday centring Eid-ul-Azha as ongoing inflationary pressure and unfavourable weather are keeping travellers at bay.

"But many tourists will come if there is less rain in the days ahead," said Selim Nawaz, secretary of the Cox's Bazar Hotel, Motel, Guest House and Cottage Owners' Association.

"We have the capacity to accommodate around 85,000 at a time in around 450 hotels, but only 30 per cent of these accommodations have been booked till now," he added.

And although there is no exact estimate, it is for sure that the number of tourists will be around half of the total that came during Eid-ul-Azha last year.

As such, some 50,000 tourists may come to Cox's Bazar after Eid on June 29, he added.

Mohammad Ali, president of the Cox's Bazar Restaurant Owners' Association, said they also expect less tourists this Eid-ul-Azha.

Ali, owner of the Jhaubon Restaurant chain in the region, pointed out that he himself kept his outlets shut on Sunday for being busy buying sacrificial cattle.

And so, he expects the number of tourists will be low as they too will be busy doing the same.

During a visit to Kolatoli beach on Monday, it was seen that fewer tourists were present compared to normal times.

Mohammad Arif, who rents out a horse for rides along the beach, said he could not earn even Tk 600 per day amid the lack of visitors.

"I could not earn enough money to even feed the horse as there are very few tourists present," he added.

However, Arif expect tourists will start coming a day after Eid-ul-Azha, when his income could reach as much as Tk 3,000 per day," he added.

Imon, who rents out a jet ski to tourists, said he expects his daily income to be as much as Tk 25,000 during the week after Eid.

Surat Alam, who charges people for taking their photographs on the beach, echoed the same, saying that the number of tourists will boom during the off-peak season after Eid.

Saiful Islam, member secretary of Cox's Bazar Bus Counter Owner-Manager Association, said over half of the tickets of buses coming to Cox's Bazar have been sold out.

The bus companies will raise the number of trips after Eid for the smooth transportation of tourists.

There are around 50 bus companies in Cox's Bazar and each operates an average of 10 trips to and from the region every day, he added.

The situation is similar at tourist spots in other parts of the country.

"Queries and bookings have fallen this year compared to the previous Eid-ul-Azha holidays. Overall bookings are 30 per cent below the previous year," said Mirza Musfequr Salahin, who runs a resort at Sajek Valley and a houseboat in Rangamati.

"We usually see our rooms fully booked the whole week after the Eid holiday. This time, the situation is different. Inflation seems to be the main reason. Buying capacity of people has eroded," said Salahin, also a managing partner of the Suilui Resort in Sajek and Ark De Kaptai in Rangamati.