Tourist flow drastically drops during Ramadan

COX'S BAZAR, Mar 24: During this Ramadan, the world's longest natural sea beach, Cox's Bazar beach, has witnessed a significant drop in arrival of tourists, resulting in a noticeably empty atmosphere, with many hotels and restaurants remaining shut.

The severe dearth of tourists for the holy month of fasting has eventually created dullness in businesses activities of the tourist town.

The entertainment centers of Cox's Bazar, including the sea beach, have been empty of tourists since the beginning of Ramadan.

Several thousand business establishments related to hotels, motels and the seashore have remained closed.

Consequently, numerous workers and employees of these tourism-related organisations have been out of a job for the entire month.

Although business has been good for about four and a half months, businessmen are worried about the extreme hot in the middle of Ramadan.

However, the businesses are mostly hopeful that the tourism sector would revive during the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.

A negligible number of tourists have come to visit. They are enjoying themselves on the completely empty beach of the vast sand dunes.

During a visit to Sugandha point of the sea beach, this correspondent found that there was no longer the usual traffic jam, the road was empty - and most of the shops on both sides of the lower entrance were closed.

There were a handful of tourists everywhere, so the same picture was seen in almost all the restaurants of the town. More than 550 hotel-motels, resorts and guesthouses had rooms lying empty.

The ever familiar bustling beach is now a place of quiet silence. The entire beach looks deserted as far as the eye can see.

And in such a situation, business activities in hotels, restaurants and transport sector have almost come to a standstill.

Small businessmen like bike and jet ski drivers, horse riders and photographers are spending idle time on the almost deserted beach.

The empty beach umbrella chairs seem to indicate a sudden outcry in the tourism sector.

Despite all these, a small number of tourists have come to the beach town for holidaymaking. Most of them are from religious minorities.

Although the room rates of hotels and motels, food prices and transport fares are much lower than normal, the visitors are struggling to find out open restaurants. Still, they are enjoying themselves on the empty beach.

Most of the businesses in the hotel and motel zone are currently closed due to the lack of tourists.

However, in the meantime, renovation work is underway in some hotels and restaurants in the hope of a large influx of tourists during the upcoming Eid.

Meanwhile, lifeguards are spending idle time on the beach due to the lack of tourists.

Traders said the number of tourists in Cox's Bazar decreases with the arrival of Ramadan.

Most people are not interested in traveling, especially during daytime due to fasting.

However, traders are hoping that the influx of tourists will decrease once the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday begins and Cox's Bazar will regain its familiar hustle and bustle.

Since the start of Ramadan, 95 per cent of the town's more than 500 hotels, guesthouses and resorts have remained empty.

Photographer Mujibur Rahman said, "There are almost no tourists now. Our income has completely decreased. However, we hope that business will be good during Eid."

Snail and oyster seller Jasim Uddin said, "Business is very slow during Ramadan. Even though we have opened shops, a few people are coming for them. But we are waiting for Eid, when sales will increase."

Mukim Khan, general secretary of the Cox's Bazar Kalatoli Hotel Resort Owners' Association, said, "The decrease in the number of tourists during Ramadan is nothing new for us. We have taken it positively."

"Business is slow at this time of the year. We have also sent our employees on leave. However, when the Eid holiday begins, Cox's Bazar will once again be filled with tourists. We are preparing for that time," he added.

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