Grim Outlook for Tourism Sector

The tourism industry is in peril. The ongoing blockades and strikes are mercilessly hammering down on the tourism sector of the country. Concerned authorities are already saying that the sector is set to lose up to a 100 crore taka by March of this year if some remedies are not taken immediately.

The time period December to February is considered the peak period of tourism in Bangladesh. There are migratory birds, traditional sweet delicacies, the weather is mostly real cool making travelling comfortable for countrymen and foreigners alike, fairs are rampant in the cities as well as the rural areas; we have the country’s biggest trade fair too during the period.

Thus the ongoing blockade and strikes are causing havoc on the tourism sector. By far Bangladesh’s most sought after tourist spot – The Cox’s Bazar – can boast very few tourists in this season. Hotel operators are in a dismal state as their booking/reservations are at an all-time low with some operators saying that only 10-15% rooms are in use while the rest are vacant compared to normal times. Some owners even fear of shutting their businesses down. According to Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) 50% of the reservations have already been cancelled while up to 75% cancellation is expected by March if the ongoing crisis persists. We must mention the foreign tourists here as well. Tour service providers are finding it increasingly difficult to accommodate for the foreigners too. Tourists from both home and abroad help to feed millions of people in the country either directly or indirectly. As they move from one place to the other, they buy local food, clothing, decorative items, souvenirs, etc. So local vendors are at a loss of how to make-up for the lost business opportunity during the peak season.

Touifiq Rahman, Adviser of Tours Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) and chief of Journey plus was quoted “As per our information, nearly 1000 foreign tourists canceled their tours to Bangladesh and entire tourism industry is facing loss in massive scale due to hartals and blockades” He also said "I have operated a tour of eight persons from Greece last month, they experienced five days of strikes, generally known as hartals, out of their 10 days stay here," he said adding "Presently 16 British tourists under my tour plan are staying in Bogra, I have no idea how do I manage them if hartal continues next week." He strongly urged that the industry be kept out of the scope of the blockades.

Two principal factors are at play here. One is that continuous blockades and strikes are forcing the bus operators to keep their buses at terminals. Two is that travelers are afraid of attacks on the highways regardless of day or nighttime and as such are absconding from taking a bus tour. The problem is that tourists are not barred from visiting the locations but because there is a lack of private/public transport, they find it very difficult to roam around. Not to mention any sudden blasts now and then is panicking for them.

Tourism sector is one of the least developed ones in the nation and so any negative sentiments would only make it worse. The owners say that if reputation is tarnished, then it would take much time to regain the confidence of the foreigners, who are not used to such erratic situations. These visitors, albeit in small numbers, help to increase forex reserve of the country. So we must take special note of the kind of image that we are portraying to them; they could help bring more visitors the next time if everything was more favorable.