Cox's Bazar has no tourists despite discounts and deals

Just seven days ago Cox's Bazar was teeming with tourists in thousands, but with the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, it now wears an almost completely vacant look. Occupancy at the over 500 hotels, resorts, guesthouses and cottages has dwindled to almost nil. The over 700 restaurants have been closed since the first day of Ramadan. The few thousand tourists who are visiting the area are at a loss for meals.

A visit to Kolatoli Point at 11:00am Sunday morning saw just three persons walking on the two kilometre long beach.  Around 500 beach reclining chairs and umbrellas were arranged in lines down the beach, but all vacant. The shops along the route to the beach were closed too. The professional photographers who take pictures of the tourists were idling under the trees, waiting for tourists.

It was the same at the Sugandha, Seagull and Laboni points. Over there, around a hundred or so people were reclining on the beach chairs along the three kilometre stretch of beach. They were enjoying the view of the sea in front of them, but were not moving around much because of the heat.

Supervisor of the private lifeguard service, Sea-Safe Life Guard, Sifat Saifullah, said that the beach had thronged with thousands and thousands of tourists just seven or eight days ago. Now around 100,000 gather at the Sugandha Point at the most. Not more than two or three thousand are seen swimming in the sea. With no tourists, the beach centered tourism business has slumped.

Though there are no tourists, the over hundred hotels and guesthouses haven't shut down for the season, said Cox's Bazar Hotel Guesthouse Owners Association president Abul Kashem Sikdar. He said that all the hotels are restaurants are undergoing maintenance and repairs. Around 60 per cent of the staff have been paid their salaries and Eid bonus in advance and given a compulsory one month's leave. There are around 4000 to 5000 guests in the hotels and guesthouses now.

In order to draw in tourists throughout the month of Ramadan, the hotels, guesthouses and resorts are offering up to 60 per cent discounts, said Abul Kashem Sikdar. He said that a 1000 taka room is being given out for just 400 taka. The hotels in all have a capacity to accommodate around 186,000 guests daily.

It was seen that some of the hotels, guesthouses and cottages were being painted and repaired, and fire safety equipment being installed. Cox's Bazar fire service deputy assistant director Dolon Bhattacharya said that most of the hotels and restaurants in Cox's bazar do not have fire safety plans. The number of fire extinguishers is inadequate too. LP gas cylinders are kept here and there randomly. The water reservoirs are not filled adequately. All these matters are being addressed now.

There are over 700 restaurants in Cox's Bazar town. Then there are around 300 open-air vans along the beach selling freshly fried fish and other food. Almost all these eateries are closed for Ramadan.

Deepak Saha (47), a businessman of Keraniganj in Dhaka, is visiting the beach with his wife and three children. At around 12 noon today, Sunday, he was wandering around the Sugandha beach area looking for a place to eat. He didn't find any restaurant open. Deepak Saha said, it is wonderful to enjoy the empty beach, but it is quite a hassle to find a decent meal. Even the restaurant in the hotel where they are staying at Kolatoli is closed. There are no restaurants nearby. They are buying dry food, as they have no other choice.

Cox's Bazar restaurant owners' association general secretary Rashedul Islam Dalim told Prothom Alo, all restaurants have been kept shut this roza too, as in other years. The staff has been given one month's salary and Eid bonus in advance and sent on leave. But there are five to six hotels kept open at various points in the town. All the restaurants in town will reopen on the second day of Eid.