The tourism industry in Bandarban is under threat due to coronavirus. The district's tourism sector is suffering due to the long-term lockdown. The tourism businesses of the district have appealed to the government to compensate for this loss and take the industry forward in a new way in the coming days.
There are 60 hotels and motels in Bandarban district and there are more than 400 tourist vehicles. About 20,000 people of the district are involved in this tourism industry.
The Bandarban district administration has closed all tourist destinations in Bandarban indefinitely since March 18. Due to this lockdown, the tourist centers, hotels, motels and tourist vehicles of the district were closed. Due to the long shutdown, families of those who used to earn money from the tourism industry have lost their income source.
Alamgir, convener of the Bandarban Microbus Jeep Car Workers Union, said, “400 of our tourist vehicles have stopped operating due to coronavirus. Due to this, there has been financial crisis in the families of those involved in this profession.”
He further said, “We have received some relief from some organizations and administrations of Bandarban in this coronavirus crisis but it is not enough to overcome this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, hotel and motel traders are suffering the most due to the lockdown. The concerned people have appealed to the government to compensate for this loss.
Sultan Nafeez, GM of Hillview, a residential hotel in Bandarban, said, “We are suffering huge losses due to coronavirus. The cost to run our hotel is about 20 lakh taka per month. We are worried about how to compensate for the loss of tourists due to the lockdown.”
Amal Kanti Das, president of the Bandarban Hotel-Motel Owners' Association said, “The tourism industry in Bandarban was the most affected by coronavirus. Most of the people of this district make their living through tourism industry. But since everything is closed, everyone is unemployed. They are having difficulty providing for their families as their income has stopped.”
Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Daud Ul Islam said, “The government is continuing to provide assistance to people suffering due to coronavirus. This support will continue in the future. The present government is implementing various projects for the development of the tourism industry and we will try to implement them properly if any instructions are given by the government in the future.”
