Eid tourists turnout at Cox’s Bazar, Kuakata falls

Staff Reporter  :
Cox’s Bazar and Kuakata, two most popular tourist destinations in the country, are facing a decline in visitor arrivals, worrying hotel managers during the Eid holiday season.

Though the once bustling beaches and vibrant attractions are witnessing fewer tourists, the local visitors are still frequenting the areas with the family members and relatives.

On Sunday afternoon, an estimated crowd of 40,000 people gathered at Sugandha Point along the picturesque Cox’s Bazar seaside. The majority of the beachgoers hailed from the local community as the number of tourists from outside Cox’s Bazar was noticeably low this time.
Due to the choppy Bay of Bengal, red flags were fluttering at strategic locations near Sugandha Point, serving as a visual warning to beach enthusiasts. Through the
aid of loudspeakers, a handful of vigilant lifeguards continuously advised visitors against venturing into the tumultuous waters for swimming.
At the southern end of Sugandha Point, and within a four-kilometer stretch towards Kalatali and Seagull as well as Laboni Points in the north, an additional crowd of at least 20,000 people gathered at the beach.

According to Selim Nawaz, the General Secretary of Cox’s Bazar Hotel Guesthouse Owners Association, despite a crowd of 60,000 to 70,000 people at the seaside on Saturday, only around 12,000 to 15,000 were tourists coming from outside the district.
However, during the Eid holidays last week, nearly 900,000 tourists had flocked to the beach, the told the media.
Muhammad Shahin Imran, the Deputy Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar district, told the media that measures have been taken to ensure the safety of tourists, including the deployment of law enforcement agencies.

On the other hand, the presence of tourists in Kuakata was not satisfactory in the last seven days. Many locals were seen visiting the beach area on Sunday.
Tourism business owners in the area claimed that this time during Eid there were fewer tourists compared to previous years.
On the other hand, tourists complained that the prices of food in the hotels of this area are much higher compared to other times.

Ashar Saleem Chowdhury, who came from Jashore, said he came to Kuakata with his family to enjoy the Eid holidays at the sea beach. He mentioned that he was enjoying the nature and environment of this place.
Syedur Rahman, a tourist from Madaripur, said that everything in Kuakata was good. He was having a great time with his friends and family. He mentioned that the prices of food in the hotels were high.

“Many rooms in my hotel were still vacant. Although there are tourists in the first-class residential hotels, most of the rooms in the second and third-class hotels remained empty,” Masud Parvez Sagar, the manager of Hotel Sagor said.
Ruman Imtiaz Tushar, the president of the Tour Operators Association of Cox’s Bazar (TOAC), said that many tourists had come to Cox’s Bazar this year during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays.

“Most of them were local tourists. Apart from the first-class hotels, the majority of the hotels in Cox’s Bazar were vacant,” he said.
In a bid to ensuring the safety and services of the tourists, the local police administration deployed additional police forces in the tourists sports, including the beach area.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Tourist Police Circle) Abul Kalam Azad said, “The Tourist Police are ensuring the safety and services of the tourists during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays.”