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Typically bustling with tourists during public holidays, the popular destinations in the hill districts now appear deserted following a recent directive by the authorities discouraging people from visiting the region, reports UNB.
Tourism businesses in hill districts are set to suffer huge losses as all bookings have been canceled.
District administrations requested people not to visit the hill districts from October 8 to 31 citing “unavoidable reasons”.
Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Khan, Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Khan, said that the decision was taken to make sure that the tourists are safe. He also hopes that the situation will be normal by the end of the month.
“We have urged tourists not to visit Rangamati during this period. Later, travel can resume as usual,” he said.
The travel restriction came at a challenging time for the tourism industry. Hotels and resorts had already received advance bookings for the Durga Puja holiday.
However, the Deputy Commissioner is optimistic that easing the restrictions may help the tourism sector recover from this crisis.
“We are facing a major crisis,” said Ramzan Ali, a leaseholder at the boat dock operated by the Rangamati Parjatan Corporation. “The scenic Hanging Bridge was submerged due to recent rains and floods, and now we have this travel ban. We don't know how we will survive.”
Md. Sultan, manager of Hotel Square Park, said, “All the bookings have been canceled, and our hotels are empty. Normally, we are fully booked at this time of year.”
Local tourism associations have expressed deep concern over the incident.
Ten organizations, including the Rangamati Resort Owners’ Association, the Houseboat Owners’ Association, and the Residential Hotel Owners’ Association, submitted a memorandum to the district administration urging the government to lift the ban.
“We are facing severe uncertainty regarding our livelihoods. The ban sends a highly negative message to tourists and threatens to push the developing tourism sector in these regions to the brink of collapse,” they said in the memorandum.
Supradip Chakma, adviser to Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs, recently said the ban would be lifted soon. “We are in talks with the Home Affairs adviser, and a decision will be announced shortly,” he said.
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