No desired crowd in Kuakata coast at 31st night

Barishal Correspondent :

Every year thousands of tourists always come to Kuakata to enjoy the last sunset and first sunrise of the year. On this occasion, every year additional pressure is created in Kuakata coast, the tourist center of Patuakhali.

However, this year, like every year, hotels-motels and traders have prepared in advance, but there is no response from tourists.

Most of the hotel and motel rooms are empty.

Traders connected with tourist business say there is no tourist crowd in Kuakata as the 12th National Assembly elections would be only one week after.

But there are few tourists on the beach.

Umbrella vendors, water bike vendors and photographers on the beach are passing the time without desired business.

On Sunday (December 31), various points of the beach including hotels, motels, restaurants, entertainment spots are decorated with colorful lights, balloons and most of the hotels are cleaned and decorated to welcome the tourist ones. But most of the hotel owners are disappointed after not getting the desired bookings and crowds.

Talking to hotel-motel authorities, there is only 20 to 30 per cent booking in first-class hotels in Kuakata as there is no official closure around the thirty-first night and elections.

Due to lack of advance booking in the second and third categories hotels, the tourist traders are afraid of being deprived of the desired tourists.

Abdul Motaleb Sharif, secretary of Kuakata Hotel Motel Owners Association, said every year we used to get advance booking of our entire hotel one week before the 31st night. But currently only 20 percent of our total rooms are booked.

Managing Director of Hotel Samudra Bilas Dr. Ismail Emon said, due to the strike-blockade that started last October, we are also making losses tourist business like Thirty First.

At the moment our room is empty, which is the first time since the corona period. Arif Suman, director of Hotel Khan Friends Park, said as we did not have tourists during Corona, it can be said that situation is still prevailing.

Tour Operators Association of Kuakata (TOAK) president Ruman Imtiaz Tushar said the thirty first night is one of the many attractions in Kuakata to stay there. So we arranged many events around the night.

But this time even 20 percent of the aspiration is not being booked.

Superintendent of Tourist Police Kuakata Zone Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad said that the pressure of tourists were throughout December.

But it is little less at present, although we are active to ensure the safety of tourists.