Holidaymakers may help revive tourism industry
Rajib Kanti Roy: Holidaymakers are estimated to spend Tk 1,500 crore during this Eid season while traveling to different tourism spots.
In and outbound tourism will make an upturn as a large portion of vacationers are preparing to explore local and international spots to spend a quality time with families and friends during this year’s Eid-ul-Azha holidays.
Hoteliers, resort owners, tour operators, transport managers and other related stakeholders said that they are ready to host all travelers and offer them a memorable experience.
Tourism sector insiders expected that around 2 million people would spend Eid day and post-Eid vacation in popular travel destinations both within the country and abroad.
The tourism business may reach around Tk 1,500 crore during the expected influx of tourists, said the insiders.
They made the assessment considering bookings of hotels, resorts, amusement parks, movement of domestic air passengers, earnings from other transportations and potential income of tour operators and restaurants.
“This time the Eid centric tourism business may surpass all previous records,” Ziaul Haque, Senior Manager (Marketing and Public Relations) of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, told the Daily Sun.
He said, “Excessive heat disturbed tourists during the post Eid-ul-Fitr holidays, but this time there is no such problem. The trend of booking hotels, resorts and air tickets also indicate that the business may reach close to Tk 1,500 crore.”
Ziaul Haque said that the sector could do more business in case of a longer Eid vacation. He hoped that the tourism sector would be able to overcome the losses incurred during the Covid-19 pandemic days.
Bangladesh Outbound Tour Operators Association (BOTOA) President Iqbal Mahmood Bablu said, “Nearly 400,000 people are going to India alone, while Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Maldives will have more than 100,000 Bangladeshi tourists.”
But the number of holidaymakers would have been much higher if air ticket prices had been within the reach of most people, he added.
“Airfares are very high this year. That is why tour operators could not offer suitable packages. If the ticket prices were lower, the tour operators could offer a lot of attractive offers,” Bablu said.
According to the Tourist Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), over 1 million people will visit different popular tourist spots inside the country during the Eid holidays.
“The pressure of tourists at different tourist spots in the country is quite high. We have also taken all preparations to serve holidaymakers considering the demand,” TOAB President Shiblul Azam Koreshi said.
Cox’s Bazar, Kuakata, Sundarbans, Sylhet, Bandarban and Rangamati are the most popular tourist destinations of the country.
Since the inauguration of the Padma Bridge, Kuakata, the only sea beach of the world where travelers can enjoy both sunrise and sunset from the same sea beach, is getting immense response from holidaymakers.
According to Kuakata Hotel-Motel Owners’ Association General Secretary Motaleb Sharif, there are 74 hotels and motels affiliated to the Kuakata Association.
“Besides, there are 56 more hotels and motels in this tourism spot. Of them, 15 are first class hotels.”
He said, “Some 15,000 holidaymakers can be accommodated in these hotels. Eighty percent of the rooms of these hotels and motels have been booked till next week.”
According to the TOAB, this year the Eid holidaymakers are getting more attracted to hilly areas as the hills become greener and the fountains get life due to the monsoon.”
Information from hilly districts also supports this observation. General Secretary of the Rangamati Residential Hotel Owners Association Moinuddin Selim said almost all the hotels of the city have been booked by tourists.
“Monsoon season is the best time to enjoy the greenery of the hills. Tourists have booked most of our hotels this year. We are pleased (with this) and now waiting to serve them,” he said.
Cox’s Bazar is also ready to embrace an influx of tourists during the holidays.
President of Cox’s Bazar Hotel Motel Guest House Owners’ Association Abul Kashem Sikder said the guests will start coming to the beach city a day after the Eid.
“This time we are expecting about one million tourists,” he said.
Besides, resorts of Sylhet Division and other recreational centres across the country have taken necessary preparations to serve the vacationers.
