Turmoil threatens to torpedo tourism\\\'s peak season

The ongoing political turmoil threatens to deal yet another blow to the tourism sector, which is still reeling from the last year's sharp fall exacerbated by the pre-poll unrest.
In-bound tour operators said the peak season of tourism ranges between October and April. But businesses of their counterparts in the foreign countries have already warned them about their decision to stop sending tourists to Bangladesh as political unrest has become a regular issue during the peak season of the business.
Political situation will further aggravate the struggling tourism sector of the country by sending a negative message to the foreign nations, ultimately blacklisting Bangladesh as a tourist destination, they feared.  
They said their itineraries are frequently changed to adjust with the situation, regular activities cannot be done by the tourists due to risk on roads and other places and they are somehow finishing their scheduled travel arranged for the international tourists already in Bangladesh in fear of attack by blockaders and sometimes moving with the help of law enforcers ultimately make tourists unhappy.
Hotel, motel and resort operators said most of the room bookings are either being cancelled or postponed by the domestic tourists or they are moving under police escort. The occupancy rate in the motels run by Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation has dropped below 30 per cent since January 5 and overall business in the Cox's Bazar hotel-motel zone has become similar to that of the dull season.
However, the tourism minister and secretary see no impact of blockade on the tourism sector, saying traffic movement is quite normal. They also think the foreign tourists willing to visit Bangladesh can easily come without any fear.
Executive Director of Bengal Tours Ltd Masud Hossain told the FE that during the peak season of tourism in 2013-14 they could not do business due to political unrest centring January 5 election. The same kind of situation prevails this year too.
"The worst thing is our counterparts abroad have taken it for granted that political unrest during the peak season is a regular phenomenon and that they will stop sending tourists to Bangladesh until the practice comes to an end," he said.
Majority of the tourists visiting Bangladesh through Bengal Tours are mainly from European countries and Japan.
Mr Masud handled 3,500 tourists in 2013, which came down to 900 in 2014. At this moment he has three groups in Bangladesh who are visiting the Sundarbans, various heritage sites in North Bengal like Mahasthangarh, Kantajeu Temple, Paharpur, Bagerhat and Kushtia with police protection as the Bengal Tours authority has ensured it by sending letters to various district and thana level administration officials to provide police protection.
Chief Executive Officer of Ajier Fair Trade Tourism Shahid Hussain Shamim said they have to frequently change the schedule and itinerary which makes the tourists unhappy.
He said he has full booking until March of this year where there will be 70 people in five groups mostly from Japan and the UK.
"The tourists having bookings next month or later are frequently asking whether the situation will be normal during their visit or whether I can make the tour happen. This means they can cancel their bookings anytime if this kind of situation continues," said Mr Shamim.
Chief executive of Journey Plus Taufiq Rahman said he has five groups in Bangladesh who have already arrived as per the schedule but he remains so tense all the time. The tourists visiting Srimangal, Mymensingh and Bogra are from Germany, the UK, China, Turkey and the USA.
"We are now in day-wise programmes and not planning anything long-term because the political situation is so uncertain in Bangladesh," said Mr Rahman.
Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon Friday ruled out existence of any serious blockade in the country saying it is visible in the media only.   
Relating to the negative impression about the country due to the political unrest, he said there may be some impact on the country's image as global media has broadcasted the news of political unrest; but the foreign tourists who want to visit Bangladesh can visit easily.
Tourism Secretary Khorshed Alam told the FE that there is no significant impact of blockade on the tourism sector although movement of the domestic tourists has declined.
He said there was no news of business being hampered in Cox's Bazar and Kuakata as he himself has had information from there.
Akram Hossain, a front office executive of Hotel Sea Palace in Cox's Bazar, said on Friday bookings of at least 60 rooms were cancelled and the occupancy rate of the hotel has come down to 15 per cent due to the blockade.
He said they had 90 per cent booking until the 7th of this month. But the visitors had to leave the hotel under police protection and by hanging the banner of Ijtema in front of the bus.
Public Relations Officer of Grand Sultan Resort in Srimangal Palash Chowdhury said the visitors who have booked the resort from Dhaka and Chittagong cannot go there due to blockade. The big groups have already postponed their bookings and some individual bookings have been cancelled, he added.
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