The country's tourism industry is eyeing better business after days of poor sales thanks to the ICC T20 World Cup, which will begin here from March 16, industry players said.
Expressing their optimism over the mega competition where 16 cricket playing nations, match officials, cricket fans and sponsors from all over the world will gather to enjoy the 22-day cricket extravaganza.
They said the number of inbound foreign tourists has marked a sharp increase in recent weeks because of the mega event, which is set to begin on March 16 and end on April 6.
According to the Special Branch (SB), for T20 world cup cricket in recent weeks the number of foreign visitors including international tourists has increased by more than 50 per cent compared to that of February.
"It's a great opportunity for Bangladesh to show its natural and other attractions to the whole world through the event, which will of course help attract inbound tourists here," Managing Director of Galaxy Travel International Taufiq Uddin Ahmed told the FE.
Due to political turmoil in 2013, the tourism industry counted massive losses but now they are trying to overcome that situation, he added.
The Tour Operators' Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) data show with the increase in foreign visitors' arrival the hotels' booking rate has already been growing by more than 90 per cent.
A Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel official told the FE, "The dry run at the hotel industry has now ended with a surge of guests coming in for the just-held Asia Cup and the upcoming T20 World Cup."
He said the four months from October 2013 till January 2014 had been really bad for the hotels in terms of revenue due to political unrest that was witnessed all around the country, especially in the city.
He said now the situation has improved. While there was a drop in the occupancy during the general elections in January going as low as 30 to 40 per cent it has now jumped back to 90 to100 per cent occupancy in the hotels around the city.
A Ruposhi Bangla Hotel official told the FE the T20 World Cup, touted as one of the biggest international events hosted in Bangladesh, its not only the teams that will occupy the rooms but guests who are planning to witness the games live are also requesting for accommodation in the hotels.
Also with the IPL tournament being considered to be played in Dhaka for their second phase of matches, things are looking good again for the hotel industry in terms of overall revenue and occupancy, he said.
United Airways assistant general manager Kamrul Islam told the FE all the country's airline companies expect a massive surge in business this year as the country is scheduled to organise the international cricket event.
He said their company has already sold out more then 90 per cent of their March tickets on routes where the cricket tournaments will be held - Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Sylhet.
United Airways, Regent Airways and Novoair currently serve the domestic routes, and the flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines set to join them in May.
In 2013, some 648,019 people travelled nationally by air, up 10 per cent year-on-year, according to data from Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
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