Arifur Rahman Rabbi
Tourist spots and resorts adjacent to Dhaka are bracing for yet another big financial blow after nearly 150 tourist attractions in Savar, Gazipur and Manikganj counted nearly Tk 10,000 crore in losses last year for COVID-19.
The spots are popular for picnic, holidays, film shooting, corporate functions and honeymoon for newly-wed couples.
Resort owners have said their occupancy rates have gone down to nearly zero this week with booking cancellations becoming an everyday affair.
The picture was opposite even in early last month, as the tourist attractions were making a turnaround in their business after a last year’s catastrophic experience.
Ismail Hossain, manager of Sarah Resort in Rajabari area of Gazipur’s Rajendrapur told The Business Post that they had huge bookings for several events for this month.
“One after other bookings were cancelled due to coronavirus infection in the country. Now we have no guests, no bookings, but resort staff,” Ismail said.
Abul Hossain Abir, general manager at Chuti resort in the Sukundi area of Joydebpur said with the outbreak of coronavirus visitors’ movement stopped here. The company suffered huge financial losses, he added.
“We used to earn crores of money every year. But this time the income is zero. We have over one hundred employees here. Lack of business in our deserted resort will cost huge job loss,” he feared.
The second wave of coronavirus would be an existential threat to our industry, he added.
Besides these districts, another about 300 resorts operate in Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Sylhet, Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachari, industry people said.
The business people concerned have said the resort business lost around Tk 10,000 crores in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Around one million people’s livelihoods, directly and indirectly, involved in this business, are now under threat.
They think that it will be difficult to make a turnaround without government support, be in the form of incentive or low-cost aid.
Tourism Resort Industries Association of Bangladesh (TRIAB) President Khabir Uddin Ahmed has told The Business Post that many developed economies in the world are dependent on the tourism industry.
“The resorts have largely been developed in village area beside the capital Dhaka. People rush to our spots for the scenic beauty of rural Bangladesh where all modern amenities for recreation, food and lodging will be available,” Khabir said.
He also said resorts, picnic and shooting spot owners have to survive on their own subsidies in pressing time like COVID-19 pandemic. There are various expenses including electricity bills, staff salaries.
The sector had to suffer a loss of around Tk 10,000 crore during the last year’s COVID-19, he said.
“We cannot afford the further loss.”
During the coronavirus pandemic period, incentives are being given to the tourism sector in different countries. The government should be proactive in providing incentives to keep this industry afloat in the country, said Khabir.
Resort owners said metropolitan lives are associated with heavy traffic, noise and loud horns. People living a mechanical life in the city want respite and relief and opt for resorts occasionally to get energized, to get a touch of peace.
Keeping this in mind, tourists’ attractions were developed in Savar, Gazipur and Manikganj areas so that people in the capital can reach those spots with a one-hour drive.
They also said that among the resorts, most of the eco-resorts are situated surrounding Dhaka city. Most of the spots hold greenery with different types of plantation and vegetation.
The resorts have sprung up with hundreds of acres of land in Gazipur district alone. The operating cost of these resorts is much higher, owners said.
Nokkhottrobari Resort’s Manager Operation Aminul Islam said that their total employees are now 39. The number could be halved now amid coronavirus-induced lockdown.
Business insiders said resort business is largely run and owned by big corporates, under partnership model and on individual effort.
Many workers of tourist spots have already been laid off, while a large number awaits termination notices from owners. A good number of staff is being paid half their salaries.
Aronnobash Picnic Spot & Resort owner Maj (Retd) Md. Mahbubur Rahman Khan (Bir Protik) said the market of the resort is around one thousand crores.
He said tourist spots have not been able to attract foreign tourists here and families from Dhaka or surrounding areas are the major clients.
“Our bookings for business programmes have been cancelled due to the pandemic,” he said, adding that corporate programmes are one of the major sources of revenues for resort owners.
“Our company started business in 2018 with a loan of Tk 4.6 crore. The target of the company was to do business worth Tk 2 crore every year. In the first two years, we managed to do business worth around Tk 1.5 crore. We might be defaulter if the current pandemic prolongs,” he said.
The businessman pointed out that smaller resorts were the most affected and many of these resorts were forced to close their businesses due to the COVID-19 situation.
Businesspeople engaged in the resort industry said they were not getting the benefit of the stimulus package announced by the government to offset the loss caused by the last year’s COVID-19.
“Banks are not interested in giving loans to resort industry,” one businessman said.
TRIAB president Khabir said banks think if they sanction loan against resorts, the money would not be repaid.
“This sector will be in a dire situation if government stimulus is not considered,” Khabir pleaded.
State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali told The Business Post that his ministry was working hard to achieve the desired goal of the Bangladesh tourism industry.
He said the country has all elements to attract tourist and make its tourism industry flourished.
Asked about the incentive, the state minister said that they would take action considering the current situation to revitalise the tourism sector.
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