Hotels at tourist spots almost fully booked

Hotels, motels and resorts at popular tourist destinations across the country are almost fully booked during the ten-day Eid-ul-Azha holidays, which begin in the first week of June.

The majority of holidaymakers are heading to beach town Cox's Bazar, while others plan to cruise the haor wetlands on houseboats or explore scenic tea gardens in Sylhet.

Resorts in southwestern Sundarbans and even those just outside Dhaka have also seen a surge in bookings. This year's rare 10-day holiday for public employees has shifted the usual trend of only a few days off, encouraging more domestic travel.

Following the lead of government offices, many private organisations including banks and NGOs have announced similar extended breaks. Besides, schools have announced closures of more than 10 days.

Tourism industry people say the long holiday and increasing international airfares are key reasons for more people opting for domestic holidays this year.

According to them, bookings are relatively lighter at the very start and end of the break during June 5–14, but the days in between are almost fully booked. Erratic weather conditions have put a dampener on some travel plans, but bookings may rise further if the conditions improve.

Sifat Afrin Shams, a private firm employee in Dhaka, plans to visit Birishiri in Netrokona with her family.

"Although it was very difficult to book a room just ten days before Eid, we were finally able to manage one after multiple attempts," she said. "All good-quality rooms were already booked, so we had to go with whatever was available."

At Seagull Hotel in Cox's Bazar, more than 90 percent of rooms have been booked from June 8 to 12.

"It would be safe to say that Cox's Bazar will see a large influx of tourists this Eid," said front office manager Mohammad Asaduzzaman.

Similarly, Mermaid Beach Resort in Cox's Bazar is fully booked for six of the ten days, although general manager Rana Karmakar said the remaining days, falling at the very beginning and end of the holiday, are not attracting as much interest.

In Khulna, the Sundori Eco Resort has only two rooms left unbooked for the entire holiday period, said Redwan Ahmed Siam, assistant general for sales and marketing.

He believes this was due to people's growing enthusiasm for eco-tourism and domestic getaways.

Md Abdullah Al Kafi, managing director of Meghmati Village Resort in Mymensingh, said all their rooms have been reserved from 8 to 13 June. "This was not the case during the previous Eid-ul-Azha, which had only a three-day holiday," Kafi said.

According to him, rising airfares on international routes have slowed outbound tourism. "Domestic tourism is expected to perform better this time."

Alamgir Ferdous, managing director of Chuti Resort Limited, said 65 percent of their rooms are already booked.

"This trend is a positive indicator for the growth of domestic tourism and highlights the rising preference for eco-friendly and accessible vacation options," he said.

The company runs three resorts: Chuti Resort Gazipur, Chuti Resort Purbachal, and Chuti Aronnobash Resort Pubail -- all within easy reach of the capital.

At Nokkhottrobari Resort in Gazipur, bookings usually pick up closer to the holiday, said its accounts manager Nitai Chandra Sutradhar. "We are receiving a good number of enquiries, though actual bookings tend to lag behind. Still, we are hopeful that if the weather holds, the rate will go up."

However, the picture is different for Sajek Valley, where demand for pre-booking has been relatively low this time, said Imranul Alam, managing director of Tour Group Bangladesh.

In contrast, Tanguar Haor in Sunamganj is drawing more attention during the monsoon season, with almost all houseboats already booked from the day after Eid until June 15.

In Habiganj, the Palace Luxury Resort is fully booked for the Eid holidays.

"The increase in business can be largely attributed to the unusually long Eid holiday this year," said Mohammad Tanvir Hassan, head of sales and marketing.

"In previous years, shorter breaks limited travel plans, often restricting visitors to two or three days. This year, with a 10-day holiday, people are opting for longer stays, boosting business for resorts," commented Hassan.