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Padma Bridge to transform Bagerhat’s tourism industry

UNB . Bagerhat
29 Jun 2022 00:11:36 | Update: 29 Jun 2022 00:11:36
Padma Bridge to transform Bagerhat’s tourism industry
Travellers take photos to commemorate their journey via the Padma Bridge  – UNB Photo

The much-awaited Padma Bridge finally opened to traffic on Sunday. With this, the tourism industry of the country’s southwest region is expected to undergo a massive transformation.

Thousands will get jobs, a new economic corridor will be opened for the region’s people. New establishments will grow centring Khulna, Bagerhat and Kuakata and the number of tourists will increase. Income from the tourism sector will also shoot up manifold, according to officials and tour operators.

The expected transformation will be brought about by the Padma Bridge.

According to the Bagerhat district administration and the government’s archaeology department, two out of three UNESCO-declared world heritage sites of the country are in the Bagerhat region. On one side of the district is the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, and on the other side is the historical Sat Gombuz Mosque (Sixty Dome Mosque).

There are 17 more UNESCO-declared important sites in this area. In the fiscal year 2021-22, a total of 1.2 lakh tourists came to visit the Sundarban’s Bagerhat part and 1.8 lakh tourists visited the Sat Gombuz Mosque. Revenue earned by the government from these two sites has been Tk 1.25 crore and Tk 60 lakh, respectively.

Sheikh Shakir Hossain, a member of the Sundarban Tourist Club, said that the only way to enter and exit the Bagerhat district is through roads.

“The opening of the Padma Bridge will definitely increase the number of tourists coming to Bagerhat, as better road connections will be established now,” Shakir hoped.

Rubel Hossain, a trawler trader from Khulna’s Mongla area, said that their main business is related to The Sundarbans’ Eco-Tourism Center and the forest’s Wildlife Procreation Center in Karamjal.

“It takes about half an hour to reach Karamjal from Mongla on a trawler. The number of tourists in this route used to be low due to bad road networks, which will change now through the introduction of Padma Bridge to the region’s road connectivity,” Rubel said.

Md Kamruzzaman, the owner of a hotel in Khan Jahan Ali’s Shrine area, said that the hotel owners of the area had to incur heavy losses due to a lack of tourists throughout the year.

“Padma Bridge will make travelling to Bagerhat easier and more attractive, which will result in increased tourists. Hotel-motel owners will be able to do good business from now on. Besides, many new hotels and motels will also be set up to cater to the growing demands of the tourists,” said Kamruzzaman.

According to Md Zayed, Custodian of the Bagerhat Archeology Department, a rest house has been built in front of the Sat Gombuz Mosque.

“Besides, a walkway has been built around Ghoradighi, a lake adjacent to the mosque. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation has spent around Tk 13 crore to build a three-star hotel on the intersection in front of Khan Jahan Ali’s Shrine. 80 per cent of works of this hotel have already been completed,” said Zayed.

Deputy Commissioner of Bagerhat district Md Azizur Rahman said that the district administration is working to improve the road connections of the district.

“We hope Bagerhat’s tourism industry will grow through the utilisation of the Padma Bridge,” Azizur said.

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