United News of Bangladesh

Eid is no longer just about returning to one’s ancestral home over time, Eid holidays have evolved into a significant period for domestic tourism.  But, both the general public and industry experts argue that Eid tourism in Bangladesh has become constrained and monotonous. Nazrul Islam, a 55-year-old senior executive at a corporate firm, had initially planned to travel abroad during the Eid break.  He, however, ultimately decided to stay in Bangladesh.  Despite this, he has no intention of travelling within the country or even stepping out in Dhaka on Eid day.  Instead, he plans to spend the entire time with his family. When asked why, he explained, “If you observe carefully, you will see that almost every festival in our country follows the same pattern. On Eid day, after the morning prayers and a family meal, where does one go? Either to a relative’s house, a park, or a restaurant. “This pre-scripted Eid experience, repeating year after year, does not happen in major cities abroad. Even leaving Dhaka is futile—after half a day, you are exhausted from seeing the same monotonous sights.” Mossabber Hossain, 72, reminisces about Eid celebrations in Dhaka, saying, “There used to be fairs in every neighbourhood, boat races in Old Dhaka, and horse races in open fields. But now, Eid has been reduced to strolling in parks and dining in restaurants.” Tourism boom expected in Khagrachhari during Eid holidays A City of Commercialism, Not Festivity Discussing the limitations of Dhaka’s Eid festivities, Adil Muhammad Khan, President of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), commented, “Dhaka has become so commercialised that there is no room for non-commercial recreation.  Many fields that once hosted fairs no longer exist. The canals that allowed for boat rides have been encroached upon. Water bodies have been filled in to construct towering commercial buildings, and now restaurants within these buildings have become the centre of Eid entertainment.” “Even parks have been taken over. Visit Dhanmondi Lake today, and you’ll feel that the lake is secondary to the numerous restaurants that have sprung up along its banks. No one is planning for a vibrant Dhaka. Those who remain in the city for Eid are forced into a dull, repetitive celebration.” A Lacklustre Experience Beyond Dhaka Humayun Rashid, 32, visited Cox’s Bazar last Eid with his family.  He found the experience underwhelming. “You don’t need more than two days to explore Cox’s Bazar. Beyond the sea, the so-called entertainment options—boat rides, parasailing, horse riding—are overpriced and feel like a scam.” He added, “When tourists realise they are being exploited at every turn, they lose trust in these destinations. Last Eid, around 800,000 tourists flocked to Cox’s Bazar. The beach was so crowded that it felt like a bustling fish market in Dhaka. Hotel room prices had skyrocketed, with simple meals costing several times their usual price. Why would people want to return to such a place?” Tetulia’s Tulip: Boosting tourism, regional economy Despite these grievances, hotels in Cox’s Bazar are already over 80% booked for this Eid, with remaining rooms expected to be reserved in the coming days. However, many travellers are once again complaining about inflated prices. Faisal, a tourist looking for a hotel room, found that a standard air-conditioned couple’s room facing the sea cost Tk 8,000-9,000—almost double the usual rate. Murshid Hossain, a former manager of a Cox’s Bazar hotel and currently a general manager at a three-star hotel in Dhaka, explained, “During the off-season, hotels struggle to fill rooms even after offering discounts of over 50%. To sustain operations and pay staff salaries, they must charge higher rates during peak tourist seasons.” An Unprepared Tourism Industry Professor Muhammad Shoaib-Ur-Rahman from Dhaka University’s Tourism and Hospitality Management Department believes Bangladesh’s tourism industry is woefully unprepared. “Every year, we hear that 1.5 million tourists travelled to different destinations during Eid, but there is no official data to back this claim. Unless we start planning tourism spots based on visitor numbers and redefine what constitutes entertainment, no real improvement will happen,” he said. Tourism restrictions lifted in 4 Bandarban upazilas He went on to say, “People visit Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban once or twice but do not return. Meanwhile, places like Bali or Bangkok attract repeat visitors. The primary reason is that Bangladesh’s tourist destinations offer a one-dimensional experience. Abroad, tourism integrates nature and human creativity to create diverse attractions. While one cannot fully explore Bangkok in two days, one can finish touring Cox’s Bazar within a few hours.” He also warned that unchecked price hikes and syndicates are harming both tourists and locals. “As tourism causes the cost of goods to rise, locals develop a negative perception of visitors. This tension can eventually lead to security concerns.”    

The spectacular coastline of tourism hub Cox's Bazar, adorned with the world's longest unbroken beach has been buzzing in the last couple of days thanks to the weekly holiday over the weekend melding with Christmas on Sunday - a national holiday - leading to a very busy time for the tourism sector, as well as the many ancillary businesses that tend to spring up in busy tourist spots.  Tourist police along with the district administration anticipated the surge, allowing them to take timely measures to scale up the security for the revellers. Hotel authorities said some 90 percent of their rooms are booked, with people arriving, entourage after entourage, to visit this magnificent beach since Thursday afternoon. The overcrowding of tourists from several parts of the country was caused by the government’s weekends on December 23, 24 and the Christmas Day on December 25.       Visiting several spots and residential hotels, the UNB correspondent observed a huge crowd of tourists at the beach, while in some sort of peripheral vision, we could see that some people were rushing with their luggage, their valuables from one hotel to another, as whatever rooms were left kept flying off the shelves.   Read more: Security concern hits Cox’s Bazar tourism hard Those who managed rooms were found enjoying with their dear and near ones at the Inani and Himchhari beaches, or in the Buddhist Temples of Ramu, and even Saint Martin's, the coral island, and Adhinath Temple Maheshkhali. Mohammad Foez, manager of the exquisitely named ‘Hotel Of The President’, said although tourist season started with the beginninging of the December every year, they got a poor response from the tourists this year. “At the end of the month all the rooms of our hotel have already been booked and we would be able to recover our loss,” he said. Anowar Kamal, president of ‘Tour Operator Association of Cox’s Bazar’, said there had been an adverse business for the past few days but with the overflow of tourists the beach city got to work up a head of momentum, that it could hopefully now use without hesitation. Sherin Alam, assistant superintendent of tourist police (Cox’s Bazar Zone), hopes to see tens of thousands of tourists visit Cox's beach city over 'the long weekend'. “Several teams of tourist police have been working to ensure security of the tourists and we are always vigilant,” he said. Read more: Cox’s Bazar beach: Dedicated zone for women walked back Masum Billah, an executive magistrate of the district administration, said they have always been alert for the sake of security of the tourists and keeping an eye on excessive prices of all things including foods.