Cox's Bazar beach nearly empty of tourists during Ramadan

COX'S BAZAR, Mar 09: Cox's Bazar, one of Bangladesh's premier tourist destinations, has witnessed arrivals of a significantly smaller number of tourists than usual during the holy month of Ramadan this year, leaving the local businesses apprehensive of a major slowdown.

Business owners fear that the tourism industry in the beach town may incur losses amounting to several hundred crores of taka for the remarkably insignificant volume of tourists during this month of fasting.

A visit to the sea beach shows a stark contrast to the bustling crowds of visitors seen just weeks ago. The once lively beach, filled with thousands of visitors, now has only a handful of tourists. A quiet atmosphere prevails across Sugandha, Kolatoli and Laboni points. Due to the absence of visitors, many hotels, motels, guesthouses, restaurants, and shops selling seashells and handicrafts have been closed.

Sources in the tourism sector say Cox's Bazar town has more than 500 hotels, motels and guesthouses.

Before Ramadan, these establishments accommodated an average of around 30,000 tourists every day. However, since the start of Ramadan, the number has dropped to only a few hundred, leaving nearly 90 per cent of hotel rooms vacant.

To attract visitors, many upscale hotels have announced discounts ranging from 40 to 60 percent. However, this has failed to generate a significant response. Major hotels such as Sea Gull, Ocean Paradise and Sayeman Beach Resort are also experiencing an almost zero booking rate.

Business owners say the absence of tourists has effectively stalled more than 3,000 tourism-dependent businesses in Cox's Bazar.

Hundreds of photographers roaming along the beach, 35 horses used for beach rides, more than 50 beach bikes, and around 150 seashell and handicraft shops are now without customers.

At the beach, most shops in the Jhinuk Market, pickle stalls and colourful clothing outlets remain closed.

Dust has accumulated in front of many shops. On the nearly empty sandy shore, horses roam idly while their owners pass time waiting for customers.

Rows of beach bikes stand unused as drivers wait in hope that a tourist might arrive. Photographers are also roaming around with cameras in hand, but there are hardly any visitors to photograph.

The decline in tourism business has also affected employment. Due to the lack of visitors, many businesses have laid off workers, leaving numerous low-income employees uncertain about their livelihoods ahead of Eid.

Touhidur Islam, a hotel owner in the Kolatoli area, said, "Since the start of Ramadan, we have managed to rent out only a few rooms for two days. Now almost the entire hotel is empty."

Mohammad Ali, a member of the beach lifeguard service, said, "Before Ramadan the beach used to be crowded with tourists every day. Now it is almost empty. We are still on duty, but the time passes very slowly."

Kasem Ali, a horse owner at the beach, said, "Since Ramadan began, there are hardly any tourists on the beach. Now I can't even earn enough to cover the cost of feeding the horse."

Beach bike driver Jahed Hasan said that sometimes fewer than 100 tourists can be seen across Laboni, Sugandha and Kolatoli areas combined, leaving them with almost no income.

Tamiz Uddin, a beach photographer, said, "Before Ramadan there were more than a hundred photographers at Laboni Point every day. Now only 10 to 20 remain. Some days we don't even earn Tk 100."

Tourism stakeholders believe the slowdown during Ramadan is temporary. They expect a surge of visitors during the Eid holidays, which may help offset some of the losses incurred during the month.

Abul Kashem Sikder, president of the Hotel, Motel and Guesthouse Owners' Association, said, "This year the decline in tourists is greater than in previous years. Bookings in almost all hotels are close to zero. However, we hope tourists will start arriving again from the Eid holidays."

Additional DIG of Tourist Police Cox's Bazar Region, Aapel Mahmud, said, "We continue to ensure security for visitors who come to enjoy the peaceful environment of the beach. Even though tourist volume is low, there has been no relaxation in security measures."

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