Eid sparks tourism boom as Bangladeshis reignite their wanderlust after COVID lull

Tanvir Hasan, a private firm employee, spent the last two years in the familiar confines of Dhaka due to the coronavirus pandemic. But with COVID cases trending down, Eid-ul-Fitr this year has brought added excitement to his family as he and his wife are travelling to India’s Kolkata for the holidays.

COVID-19 restrictions are almost gone, and the holidays are likely to be longer than usual if a few extra days can be taken off from work – factors that have prompted a huge number of people to set their sights on tourist spots instead of heading back to their hometowns or villages this Eid.

According to the Bangladesh Outbound Tour Operators Association, or BOTOA, around 2 million people are spending Eid in popular travel destinations both within the country and abroad.

Nearly 400,000 people are going to India alone, while Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Maldives will have more than 100,000 Bangladeshi tourists, said BOTOA President Iqbal Mahmood Bablu.

Some have also picked Vietnam as their travel destination this time. Many are going to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah.

However, Iqbal believes the number of holidaymakers would have been much higher if air ticket prices had been within the reach of most people.

"Airfares are very high this year. That is why tour operators could not offer suitable packages. If the ticket prices were on the lower side, the tour operators could offer a lot of attractive offers.”

Iqbal said Sri Lanka was also a popular choice among holidaymakers in the past but people lost interest in the island nation due to its ongoing economic woes. The country has been sinking deeper into its worst economic crisis in decades. Moreover, violent street demonstrations have erupted this month as fuel shortages and power cuts became acute.

RUSH FOR INDIAN VISAS

After a travel ban of more than one and a half years due to the pandemic, India has begun granting fresh tourist visas. Crowds have been flocking to the visa centres for the past month to grab the opportunity to travel to the neighbouring country again.

Many have been queuing for visas from early morning. Indian visa application centres are operating after hours to cope with the pressure.

According to the website of the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, the visa centres are open from 8 am to 8 pm throughout Ramadan. They are receiving visa applications until 5 pm.

Tashrif Hossain, a private company employee, said he and seven others went to the Indian visa centre in Jamuna Future Park at 6am on Apr 17. But hundreds of people were already waiting there even though the doors of the complex were yet to open.

It, however, did not take very long after the visa centre opened. Their application submission process was completed within two and a half hours.

Another traveller, Sharmeen Akhter, said they had taken Indian visas with a plan to spend the vacation in Darjeeling-Gangtok. But they were not allowed to pass through the Banglabandha-Phulbari border. Only air travel via Gede or Akhaura ports are permitted. It will add an extra two days to the journey, but they are still going.

HOW THE COUNTRY IS PREPARING

Hoteliers and resort owners in the country's tourism hotspots are also gearing up for the long holiday.

Moinuddin Selim, general secretary of the Rangamati Residential Hotel Owners Association, said, “The hospitality industry has gone through a difficult time due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many kept their hotels closed. I hope there will be a turnaround this time. Everyone is preparing for that.”

He said there are 53 residential hotels under the auspices of the group in Rangamati, which can accommodate about 5,000 guests.

Srijan Bikash Barua, manager of Rangamati Tourism Corporation, said they are expecting a large number of tourists this time due to the long holiday.

There are 88 rooms in his motel which can accommodate more than 150 tourists. Of these, 44 have already been booked. He expects that the rest will be booked as well.

Cox's Bazar is also ready to embrace an influx of tourists during the holiday. Mohim Khan, general secretary of Cox's Bazar Kolatoli Marine Drive Hotel, Motel and Resort Owners' Association, said they expect scores of tourists to stream in during the Eid holidays.

Already, 60 percent of the hotels and motels have been booked, according to him.