Tourists swarm Cox’s Bazar, Srimangal amid 3-day holiday

Thousands of tourists from the capital Dhaka and other districts of the country flocked to Cox's Bazar, one of the major tourist spots in Bangladesh, amid the three-day holiday beginning from Friday.

People concerned said so far more than 1.5 lakh tourists have arrived in Cox's Bazar and around 90% of the hotels have already been booked.

All areas of the longest sea beach in the world including the Laboni, Sugandha and Kalatali points have been crowded with tourists, they said.

Also, all the rooms in 67 hotels and resorts including five five-star hotels in Srimangal upazila under Moulvibazar district have already been booked, said people concerned. Many were booked in advance a month earlier of the three-day holiday, they added.

Although many tourists love to visit the hilly areas of Srimangal all the year round, the number increases several times during the winter. 

Cox's Bazar abuzz with visitors

On Friday morning, extreme traffic congestion was seen in the Dolphin intersection in Kalatali, Cox's Bazar.

Many people had to wait for hours on the footpaths with baggage to get a vehicle to go to the designated places. Those who came without booking hotel rooms in advance were in trouble as most of the hotels were already booked.

Shafiul Huda, a tourist from Dhaka, said, "Friday and Saturday are weekly holidays. Christmas will be observed on Sunday. I have come with my family to enjoy the holidays. But we have not found any hotel room yet."

A couple from Dhaka, who refused to be named, said, "In September, we stayed in a hotel room for Tk2,200 per day. We have got a room in the same hotel for Tk7,000 per day today after much difficulty. However, we feel lucky as many people are yet to get any room."

Hotel and resort owners said most of the rooms are booked till 28 December.

Md Alaol, manager of Vista Bay Resort, said, "All our rooms have been booked. Many tourists are requesting us for a room. But we are helpless."

He suggested tourists who want to travel to Cox's Bazar book rooms in advance to avoid any hassle.

Abdur Rahman, president of the Greater Beach Business Owners' Association, said, "About 90% of the rooms have been booked in more than 500 hotels in Cox's Bazar. More than 1.5 lakh tourists are now staying here."

He said many hotels are charging extra money from the tourists showing an artificial shortage of rooms.

Gazi Mizanur Rahman, inspector of Cox's Bazar Tourist Police, said, "We have increased patrols to ensure the safety of tourists. The district magistrate is also taking action in this regard."

Srimangal packed with tourists

According to the Srimangal Tourism Services Organisation, many people are willing to get a room by paying extra money, but all the hotels are fully booked.

"All our rooms were booked 15 days ago," said SK Das Suman, director of Greenleaf Resort.

Shamsul Haque, general secretary of Srimangal Tourism Services Organisation, told The Business Standard, "No cottages are vacant on 23, 24 and 25 December. We have got hundreds of phone calls in the last week for rooms. But we could not provide any."

Meanwhile, the police have taken extra security measures for the safety of a large number of tourists in the area.

Naser Rekabdar, additional superintendent of police, said, "We are ready to provide all kinds of security for the tourists to travel safely. Besides, the tourist police will be on duty all the time."