Holiday destinations devoid of tourists for security concerns

Hotels, resorts and motels in the country's holiday destinations are lying idle for a lack of tourists amidst the deterioration of law and order since Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of prime minister on August 5 in the face of a mass uprising.

Vandalism and looting of business establishments, houses and places of worship of religious minorities have created panic, denting the flow of tourists to popular holiday destinations.

"Not a single tourist came to visit Sajek during the last three weeks due to instability and fear," said Suparna Debbarman, president of an association of the area's resort and cottage owners.

During the rainy season, tourists come to witness the beauty of the green hills and small waterfalls, but the prevailing situation is not favourable for travel.

He added that bus services connecting Dhaka and Khagrachhari are yet to resume in full swing.

According to him, there are at least 130 resorts and hotels and 16 restaurants in Sajek that can accommodate around 3,500 tourists.

These resorts and hotels employ at least 1,000 people, Debbarman said.

However, most staff are on leave with pay, which has helped reduce food costs for staff, he added.

Basically, people are panicking about the instability and rapid change in the political scenario, which has impacted tourism-centric businesses in Sajek and other holiday destinations, he said.

Echoing Debbarman's sentiments, Imranul Alam, owner of Tour Group BD, which offers houseboat services at Tanguar Haor in Sylhet, said the peak season for tourism in the region comes during the months of July and August.

He said the natural beauty of Tanguar Haor, the tea gardens of Sreemangal and the waterfalls of Jaflong attract many visitors but there were no such prospects in the foreseeable future.

However, the ongoing situation had affected their business.

According to Alam, there are at least 200 houseboats in Tanguar Haor passing idle times due to a lack of tourists.

Currently, there is little to no tourism-centric business at Cox's Bazar, which boasts the world's longest unbroken sea beach, due to a lack of tourists, said Selim Newaz, general secretary of the Cox's Bazar Hotel Motel Guest House Owners' Association.

"We are incurring huge losses every day…this prime tourist destination currently has almost no tourists. But we still have to bear our fixed costs," Newaz said.

"We don't know when normality will return and when we will get tourists," he added.

Since mid-July, hardly any tourists have arrived in Kuakata, which features another sea beach, said Rumman Imtiaz Tushar, president of the Tour Operators Association of Kuakata.

Many bookings have been cancelled since a curfew was first imposed by the government on July 20, he said.

There are around 140 establishments catering to tourists, including restaurants and tea shops, alongside people who rent out beach umbrellas and benches in Kuakata. They are all having to deal with potential business losses, he said.

There are no tourists in hotels, said Motaleb Sharif, general secretary of Kuakata Hotel-Motel Owners Association.

"The owners of the hotels are struggling to meet various expenses, including hotel maintenance costs and electricity bills," he added.