United News of Bangladesh

Tourism-based business in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, are bracing for losses after the authorities moved to boost revenue by making visit to the region more expensive. The government has recently launched steps to increase the revenue income from tourists in Sundarbans. This is being done by doubling the tour-related tariffs and taxes imposed on visitors to attractive tourist destination in the Bay of Bengal. The higher visiting cost is driving many tourists away, according to tour operators. The operators are trying to recover some of its losses caused by Covid-19 but the increased taxes may push the tourism business to uncertainty. Hit hard by the Covid pandemic the fishermen, wood-collectors and honey collectors in the Sundarbans are also facing losses as the forest authorities have steeply raised the target of revenue collection from them.