Usually vibrant with tourists during public holidays, the popular tourist destinations in the three hill districts now wear a desolate look after a recent directive by the authorities discouraging people from visiting the region.
Tourism businesses in Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari are set to suffer huge losses as all bookings have been cancelled due to the restriction.
District administrations asked people not to visit the hill districts from October 8 to 31 citing “unavoidable reasons”, including safety concerns and the impact of recent natural disasters.
Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Khan said the decision was made to ensure the safety of tourists, with hopes that the situation will normalise 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 particularly difficult time for the tourism sector. Hotel and resort operators had received advanced bookings for the Durga Puja holiday, the biggest religious festival of Hindus.
Alok Bikash Chakma, manager of the Rangamati Parjatan Corporation, said that the tourism sector had already been affected by natural disasters.
With the added issue of recent violence in the hills, there has been an absence of tourists.
The administration's restrictions amid this have impacted the industry, he said.
However, he is optimistic that easing the restrictions could 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, echoed similar concerns saying, “All the bookings have been cancelled, and our hotels are empty. Normally, we are fully booked at this time of year,” he said.
Local tourism associations have expressed deep concern over the economic impact of the travel ban.
Ten organizations, including the Rangamati Resort Owners’ Association, the Houseboat Owners’ Association, and the Hotel Owners’ Association, submitted a memorandum to the district administration calling for the government to lift the ban immediately.
“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.
Adviser to Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Supradip Chakma 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.
