Home ›› 04 Sep 2021 ›› Editorial
Let us view the tourism sector in Bangladesh from a different latitude. When we look at the tourist sites in other South Asian countries like India, Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia we see hundreds of foreign tourists from countries like the USA, Europe and Japan thronging there in groups. They go around with their plan in mind, taking photos of temples and of people, or enjoying the ethnic and cultural diversity of the places. The local people in these countries are hospitable, non-interfering and respectful of the differences the visitors bring along with them.
But, when we look around, we see almost no foreign tourists on the Cox’s Bazaar sea beach, St. Martin's Island or at Chittagong Hill Tracts. The question therefore should be asked, why don’t we find foreigners in these places? The tourism department should have the answer. This writer has visited the above mentioned sites on a number of occasions hence writing from his personal experience.
These tourist spots remain crammed with local tourists all the year round and this is the main reason why foreign tourists avoid going there. If the locals spot some foreigners on the sea beach they would go too close to look them over and pass comments and even giggle with impunity. Here is the story of an Indian family that would suffice to throw enough light.
Not too long ago a Bengali family from West Bengal came to Bangladesh and went to visit Cox’s Bazaar. After checking in a hotel the elderly couple along with their 16 year old daughter strolled towards the sea beach. The daughter wore a decent swimsuit, the kind she wears on the Puri or Mumbai sea beach in India. She went in the water and started enjoying the waves while her parents relaxed under the big beach umbrella. Within minutes a small crowd of local youngsters gathered around the umbrella and began to pass indecent comments. They ogled at the young girl and passed distasteful comments. The embarrassed parents tried to talk to them but the rowdy elements behaved in a nasty manner with them. The commotion came to the notice of the camera crew of a Dhaka based television channel and they somehow managed to get the youngsters to leave the place. The parents and their daughters thanked the camera crew but before going back to the hotel told them that they would tell everyone in Kolkata about the behavior of the local elements on the beach. They said they had heard so much about the longest beach in the world but were so disappointed by the behavior of the locals.
After spending a substantial chunk of their life in Dhaka traffic jam in the four years of their work tenure, and experiencing many intolerable incidents during tours in the districts, a European couple told this writer that they would never come to Dhaka again, as they find it not as exciting as other countries of Asia. The climate (heat and rain), safety concerns, mosquito menace, crowd behavior, unnecessary delay in receiving important documents, absence of any outdoor recreation etc., made them take the decision. They said, foreigners in Dhaka usually go to Sri Lanka, Thailand or Nepal during holidays. According to them, an American or European or Japanese tourist may not see certain things when on a whirlwind tour, jumping from one place to another, but if he stays longer and wants to visit the interiors of the country he might experience something downright unpleasant, particularly if his wife or a female friend is with him. They also mentioned that in a posh residential area like Gulshan foreigners cannot go for a stroll after dinner for fear of beggars and muggers. They wanted to go to the old parts of Dhaka and photograph the old buildings, temples, bazaars etc., but abandoned the idea after the first day’s horrendous experience because of crowd behavior. In the same breath they however praised the friendly nature of the city based literate persons, who are always ready to help.
This writer was involved with the humanitarian activities of YMCA for many years. Foreign tourists, especially young men and women, used to stay in the hostel for a day or two. They often narrated their unpleasant encounters with the local people and expressed no desire to come back ever again.
Some lady tourists wanted to visit the Banga Bazaar after hearing a great deal about the place. They have been almost chased away by a gang of beggars and local urchins before they could even enter the place.
How many foreign tourists have so far visited the coral island St. Martins, 20 miles from Teknaf? Statistics might not present a pretty picture.
We can say convincingly that the local men, especially youngsters, will need to be disciplined before opening up their locality for tourism. Great many things will also need to be developed to attract tourists. Foreign tourists would like to have a portion of the Cox’s Bazaar sea beach exclusively for them with proper safety measures in place. They do not want the local people to be around and stare at them.
This needs to be said that good decent hotels have come up at many distant places offering good food but the communication network remains unmentionable, especially in the monsoon seasons. Local musclemen control movement of all kinds of vehicles that carry tourists to the sites they want to go. Transport companies with better and aircooled services coming from outside will not be able to operate there.
Though the above true stories do not negate all the other positive stories, the fact remains the bad impression these people and many others like them carry back home will hardly be erased from their minds. We just cannot wish foreign tourists to come to Bangladesh and enjoy the scenic beauty. What about accommodation facilities in remote areas? What about healthy food and running water? Will they feel safe in a motel staying alone? The government tourism department will have to ensure such things before inviting foreign tourists to the country.
The writer is Associate Editor of The Business Post
