Restive politics takes its toll on tourism industry

Ismail Hossain The current wave of violence and political unrest across the country has hit the country's tourism industry hard. The arrival of foreign tourists and movement of domestic ones have thinned out in the recent times, according to the industry insiders. The occupancy rate at posh and other hotels, motels, rest houses, guest houses as well as bookings for various entertainment spots and utilisation of their capacities have dropped to their ever-lowest level, in the aftermath of a lingering restive political situation since last February, the sources said. Tour operators have cancelled most of their services and have not been receiving any new bookings since then. "We had to cancel some seven batches of tourists including 70 foreigners in last two months," Masud Hossain, Chairman of Bengal Tour Limited, told the FE this week. Since the spell of violence in February last that followed the verdict by the International Crimes Tribunal in one particular case, involving one of those against whom prosecution had brought charges for crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation in Bangladesh in 1971 and charges were, in the course of subsequent legal proceedings, found to be genuine and substantive, the tourism sector started feeling the pinch. Bengal Tour Limited, to cite an example, had then three batches of foreign tourists in Dhaka but they could not move anywhere outside before leaving the capital. "We have not been receiving any new booking since last February," said Mr Masud who is also Vice Chairman-1 of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB). TOAB is going to organise a 'human chain programme' to attract the attention of all concerned parties and to press home the demand for taking immediately some effective moves to end the political stalemate and to save the industry. Some 20,000 tourists including a considerable number of foreign guests remained stranded in Cox's Bazar during the period of violence, particularly in February last when businesses in the country's 'tourism capital' were most seriously affected. The state-owned body, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) later made arrangements to bring those tourists back to Dhaka by special flights. "Our occupancy rates have been on a marked decline since February," said Humayun Kabir, Sales Manager of Hotel Cox Today. "Most of the hotels and resorts are also almost empty now as the tourist zone of Cox's Bazar has been adversely impacted by a slump in tourism-related business because of a restive political situation," he said. The February violence that stretched to this month has claimed some 200 lives so far across the country, according to a rough reckoning. The international media have also been covering the situation in Bangladesh. This has furthermore led to distraction of foreign tourists' attention from the country, the sources added. "All of our bookings of foreign tourists have been cancelled since early February and we have not received a single booking since then," said Zamiul Ahmed Zamil, Chairman of Tour Developers Association of Bangladesh. Mr Zamil, owner of Kushiara Tourism Ltd that operates mostly in-bound tourism, said in any restive situation, the tourism sector is affected most. The association he leads has about 100 members and fetches a considerable amount foreign currency for the country by providing services to the in-bound tourism. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) earlier cancelled 'Fam Tour' (Familiarisation Tour) which was scheduled to begin on March 15. Under the 'Fam Tour', BTB normally invites foreign travel writers, tour operators and journalists into the country to facilitate Bangladesh becoming better known and more attractive, in terms of tourism, to the outside world. Some 25 journalists, writers and operators of different countries were invited for this year's 'Fam Tour' programme which had to be called off later, in view of confrontational political activities. Aktar Ahamed, Public Relations Officer of BTB, said he is not still certain about rescheduling of the event any time sooner.