Home ›› 18 Oct 2021 ›› Nation
Resorts, parks and other recreational centres in Gazipur continue to witness large crowds of enthusiastic holidaymakers as the Covid-19 pandemic situation gradually improves across the country.
According to Deputy Commissioner SM Tariqul Islam of Gazipur, there are 76 registered recreational centres in the district. Thousands of people, especially children and youth, are pouring into the city parks, places of historical interest, and other centres after almost two years of restriction on movement to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
Different recreational centres, including parks, safari parks, zoos, picnic spots, resorts, and shooting spots in Sreepur, Pubail, and Kaliakoir areas, are welcoming huge crowds on weekly holidays and other weekdays as well.
People have gotten bored and overwhelmed amid the consistent lockdowns introduced in the last two years, and they are trying to spend quality time with their families. “This is why people are flocking to these recreational centres,” said Md Omar Faruque, operation manager of Aronnobash Resort.
“The tourism business in Gazipur has faced a serious decline amid the pandemic. Hence this is a good opportunity for them to recover those losses,” he said, adding that Gazipur is just one hour of travel away from the capital Dhaka, so the tourists are visiting on day trips here.
He further mentioned that the resort has four cottages, four rooms that cost around Tk 4,000 to Tk 10,000 to rent for each person, excluding food, which costs about Tk 1,700 for four meals a day.
The resort also has a swimming pool, boat ride and children’s park facility to better serve the tourists.
Md Al Amin, an employee of Pubail Resort of Bhadun area said, “People mostly visit us on day trips. We have many facilities for them. For enjoying the natural architecture of the resort, a tourist needs to spend Tk 300, for swimming in the pool, they need Tk 500 each, and to rent a room for the night they need between Tk 4,000 to Tk 8,000.”
During a spot visit, several tourists who came to the resort with their families told The Business Post that they are visiting the resort to seek relief from their hectic daily lives.
Also, the children – who are usually stuck at home as part of the urban lifestyle – urge their parents to take a holiday in such centres every once in a while, they said.
Not only the recreational centres but the shooting spots in Pubail --which had long been shut down amid the pandemic-- are rejuvenating their old glory. Several renowned actors, shooting teams were busy shooting their dramas, films on these spots.
Veteran actor Shahidul Alam Sachchu, who came to the Meghla shooting spot, expressed his joy at being able to resume his acting career after a long break. “The natural environment of Gazipur is soothing. People are respectful of our craft, and the shooting spots are suitable for the scenes we need to shoot,” Sachchu said.
Another renowned actor Shamim Khan, alias Chikon Ali, said he and his team always pick Gazipur to shoot their films and dramas as it is most suitable to their teams and set-ups.
However, some 145 illegal hotels and resorts have been operating without any monitoring process, and unlawful activities take place in these places, locals alleged, adding that three people had died from excessive alcohol consumption in Sara Resort a few days ago.
Addressing the issues, the Deputy Commissioner of Gazipur, SM Tariqul Islam said the authorities concerned are doing their best to serve the tourists visiting Gazipur.
“However, more than 145 unregistered recreational centres are illegally operating without our approval. We have directed the Upazila Nirbahi Officers to look into the matter and take action,” said the DC.
