Cox’s Bazar tourism incurs loss of Tk 300 cr

Staff Correspondent: The tourism sector of Cox’s Bazar has suffered a big blow again after the corona epidemic. This time due to the quota reform movement, there has been a huge loss in every sector of this one of the tourist regions of the country. Every tourist spot in the sea city comes to a standstill due to unstable conditions.
According to those concerned, the average daily loss is more than Tk 5 crore. They claim that if this continues, the tourism sector of Cox’s Bazar may be in crisis.
The tourist centers of Cox’s Bazar are sea-centric. There are more or less tourists here throughout the year. Especially from November to April, the tourist centers of Cox’s Bazar are overcrowded. However, at the beginning of this season, natural and man-made disasters hit the tourism sector. Cyclone Remal had to face another big shock before the wound dried up. Due to violent situation and curfew in the country, the tourism of Cox’s Bazar fell into a big disaster. There are no tourists in more than five hundred hotels, motels and resorts since July 16. Didn’t even read the booking. A quiet silence descends on the tourist centers. One of the tourist centers of Cox’s Bazar, including Inani, Himchari, is empty.
As one can see, more than 500 hotels, motels and resorts in Cox’s Bazar have a capacity of more than 2 lakhs. During the holidays, millions of tourists gather here.
A few important tourist spots can be seen on the surface, silence is all around. Hotels and motels are lying empty. More than five hundred restaurants and more than four thousand shops are not selling. Most of the mobile shops around, including the beach’s traditional oyster market, umbrella market, are closed. There are rows of beach bikes, water bikes (jet skis) on the beach, but most of them are driverless. Open-top tourist jeeps, CNG-powered autorickshaws, easybikes and rickshaw pullers are passing the time by talking and chatting.
In such a situation, travel agencies, hotel-motel restaurants, including hundreds of entrepreneurs in related sectors have suffered losses.
Shahab Uddin of Kalatali Chandrima Ghona area used to earn Tk 1,000 to 1,200 daily by driving a rickshaw. But he could not earn even Tk 400 per day in last one week. This driver in his fifties said, “The cost of food in the family is Tk 500 per day.” Other expenses aside. When tourists come to Cox’s Bazar, our stomachs turn. If the gate does not come, you have to fast. The situation in the city has been very bad for several days. There are no tourists, our source of income is also closing.
Khokon, the driver of an open-top tourist jeep, said, “Our livelihood depends on tourists coming to Cox’s Bazar.” If there are no tourists, our income is stopped. But if there are tourists, we get Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,000 if we go to Inani from the city. There are no tourists in Cox’s Bazar for more than a week. As a result, our idle time is suffering.
Mohammad Aman has been doing business at Labani Point on the beach for over two centuries. Aman Bhai’s shop has a reputation for being agile. He said, ‘Though it is not the tourist season, we have not experienced such bad times as the current situation. Earlier we used to sell Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000 daily. Now it is difficult to sell even Tk 2 thousand. He also said that the daily cost of the shop is Tk 3 thousand. But selling only Tk 2 thousand. Over Tk 1,000 loss incurring per day. I have not seen the face of profit for a long time.
Jahangir Alam, owner of Inani Beach Cafe and Inani, one of Cox’s Bazar’s well-known porton spots, said, ‘60,000 to 70,000 tourists arrive every day during the peak season of Himchari, Inani and Patwarte. But now there is no portal at all. 2 percent are tourists including working people. Meanwhile, tourism related businesses are in a very fragile state. Our ‘Inani Beach Cafe’ has a daily expenditure of Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 including employee salary, electricity bill, shop rent. This is how time is wasted.
Director of Hotel Cox’s Bazar and South Beach, Mostak Ahmad, said that he spends Tk 20,000 daily without income like this businessman. He said that he is struggling to meet the daily incidental expenses of the hotel staff.
Kofil Uddin of Samitipara sells chanachur, chips and water from Kalatali Beach to Labani Beach. He said, ‘It is forbidden to sell these directly on the beach. Even then, I sold it to see if the police, beach workers are coming because of the stomach. If I was a tourist, I would get Tk 300 to Tk 400 per day. But now it is completely closed. There is a shortage in the world of tension.
Pickle trader Babul Hossain said, ‘The income from this business supports a family of 8 members. Children’s education expenses also come from here. But since there are no tourists for several days, there is no sale. I have been sitting in the shop all day, but I have not been able to sell even a single rupee.
Salim Newaz, general secretary of Cox’s Bazar Hotel-Motel Guest House Owners’ Association, said, ‘Cox’s Bazar has been affected by the quota movement since July 16. In the meantime, due to the curfew, tourists from far away are not able to come to Cox’s Bazar. Those who are coming by air are coming for some work or few people are traveling. But they are staying in a three-four star quality hotel. The middle-class hoteliers have suffered a lot in this. Even though it is not the peak season, there are about 30,000 tourists in Cox’s Bazar regularly. But not now. As a result, every tourism sector has to count losses. We want this difficult situation to be over quickly. May Sundin return to Porton sector again.
Abul Kashem Sikder, the president of that association said, “If there are as many tourists as expected in the tourist city of Cox’s Bazar, there is good business in every sector.” The people of this district are dependent on Portland. But now there is no portal. Losses and losses in everything. Due to lack of tourists, only hotels and restaurants are losing an average of Tk 5 crore per day. This unstable situation after Corona is a big blow for tourism in Cox’s Bazar.
President of Cox’s Bazar Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Abu Morshed Chowdhury Khoka, said, “A tourist comes to Cox’s Bazar and stays for 3 to 4 days, stays in hotels and restaurants, and with small shopping and vehicle rental, there can be a business of Tk 10,000 per person in the porton sector. This is how we calculate the profit and loss of the tourism sector. It can be said that in the last 10 days, there has been a loss of at least Tk 300 crore in the porton sector of Cox’s Bazar. We all want the port sector of Cox’s Bazar to be strengthened again soon.