New Year business: Cox's Bazar tourism revenue drops amid low turnout 

Cox's Bazar, a go-to destination for any kind of celebration, has witnessed a disappointing turnout during the New Year celebrations this year.

"Businesses here made preparations with a revenue target of at least Tk360 crore during the New Year holidays but only half of the target was achieved," said Abu Morshed Chowdhury Khoka, president of the Cox's Bazar Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

Stakeholders attributed this downturn to strict government restrictions on outdoor events, various mismanagement, subpar service quality, and the rising trend of overcharging visitors in Cox's Bazar – one of the country's top tourist spots famous for its long natural seafront.

"New Year celebrations are a boom season for tourism in Cox's Bazar but we were surprised to see this year's crowd size," said Abul Kashem Sikder, president of Cox's Bazar Hotel Motel Guest House Owners' Association.

"We expected that at least three lakh tourists would flock to the coastal town for the three-day celebrations. Instead, we saw 50,000-60,000 visitors on average per day, which is way below the usual number that we have seen in the previous years," he said. 

There was no arrangement centering on the thirty-first-night celebrations in the town. Besides, limitations were also imposed on organising indoor events inside residential hotels, further putting off tourists, Abul Kashem said.

The mismanagement in the tourism sector is well-known. Oftentimes, when the number of tourists surges ahead of an occasion, a group of seasonal traders take advantage of the situation to earn extra money, said the hotel owners' leader, adding that all of these issues created a negative perception of Cox's Bazar among tourists.

Abdur Rahman, president of the Greater Beach Business Owners' Association, said tourists decided not to visit Cox's Bazar this time mainly due to the restrictions on outdoor programmes. 

"Why would people come if they cannot enjoy their time here freely? There were no outdoor arrangements to celebrate New Year's Eve," he said. 

Besides, tourism is a service-dependent business. It is important to increase the quality of service here, Abdur Rahman added.

When asked why more and more people are reluctant to visit Cox's Bazar, Abu Morshed Chowdhury Khoka, president of the Cox's Bazar Chamber, pointed out a few issues, including the ban on open events on the beach, restrictions on organising indoor events, the ill competition among businessmen to overcharge customers, the harassment tourists face by middlemen, and the suffering of passengers on the Saint Martin's-bound ships. 

"Tourists now do not feel safe and comfortable coming to Cox's Bazar. There are so many irregularities in the tourism business which could be curtailed if the administration had increased surveillance," said the trade leader.