Kuakata eyeing huge turnout this Eid

While tourism related businesses in Kuakata of Patuakhali are expecting an onrush of travellers amid the ongoing Eid holiday, those in Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar have been left disappointed by the low number of advance bookings.

Hotels, resorts, restaurants and even roadside shops in the seaside town have prepared colourful decorations in anticipation of holiday-goers and although those in Sreemangal took similar measures, their bookings are being cancelled for various reasons.

This is mainly due to the fact that people can reach Kuakata faster than ever thanks to the opening of Padma Bridge. However, Sreemangal has gradually lost its lustre due to the lack of new facilities at its tourist centres, many of which have fallen into disrepair ever since the downturn caused by Covid-19.

Expecting the arrival of at least two lakh people amid the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations, the local administration of Kuakata has taken various measures to ensure a safe and enjoyable journey for travellers.

For example, it has been decided that no shops or parking lots would be allowed within a half-kilometre radius of the Zero Point area of the beach, which attracts tourists for its panoramic view of the sunrise and sunset.

Russel Khan, managing director of Khan Palace, said most of their rooms have already been booked ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Motaleb Sharif, general secretary of the Kuakata Hotel-Motel Owners Association, said they previously did not need to make specific preparations for Eid travellers.

"But we have been struggling with the onrush of tourists ever since the opening of Padma Bridge, and so we have to prepare now," he added.

On the other hand, hoteliers in Sreemangal say that while 90 per cent of their rooms are usually booked in advance of the holiday, just 35 per cent have been booked so far.

Shamsul Haque, general secretary of the Sreemangal Tourism Service Organisation, said usually 80 per cent of the rooms are booked for Eid within the first 15 days of Ramadan.

But this year, only about 40 per cent of bookings have been made, of which 10 per cent were cancelled.

"This is probably because people do not dare go out in this scorching heat," he added while also citing the lack of new facilities as a root cause.

Misbah Uddin, director of Hotel Green View, said many of them took bank loans to invest in tourism.

"But if travellers continue to lose interest at this rate, we don't know what will happen in the future," he added.

Misbah Uddin then suggested the authorities concerned take necessary initiatives for the industry, such as developing tourism centres, in order to prevent it from stagnating.

"Otherwise, hundreds of traders will be affected and the government will lose revenue," he said.