Eid Tourism business hampers for financial instability of mass people

Lenin Rahman:

Concentrating on the Eid-ul-Fitr festival, a section of home-bound people are eager to visit different tourism spots with their nearest and dearest ones, but most of them are facing severe hardship in managing the additional expenditure mainly for the skyrocketing inflation.

Despite having immense expectations, tourists are being forced to cancel their tourist spot visiting eagerness with their family members.

Talking to the Daily Tribunal, Mirza Walid Shipon, President of Jubo Economist Forum mentioned that the highest number of people are departing from Dhaka and various district levels to celebrate the Eid occasion in their native land.

Quoting the report of Shipping and Communication Reporters Forum (SCRF), Mirza mentioned that about 1.5 crore people are expected to leave the greater Dhaka region including Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Gazipur, and Narayanganj city corporation to mark the holy Eid-ul-Azha.

Of them, some 60 per cent (around 90 lacks) will go by road while the remaining 40 percent of people will leave Dhaka by water and railways, said Mirza.

The reputed economist urged the authority for handling the pressure of additional passengers by introducing additional public transport services to consider the hassle-free and safe Eid journey.

Turning attention toward Eid tourism, Mirza opined that the tourism business would rise significantly to concentrate on any religious festival in Bangladesh which is very usual, but this time most people have lost their financial stability to spend money for tourist spot visiting eagerness along with the family members.

Most holidaymakers are keen to visit any tourist spots, but this time people are failing to bear the additional expenditure for higher inflation.

“Most people are facing difficulties to manage their minimum requirement of food for overheated prices of essential commodities after spreading the pandemic in the country, so, the visiting ambition of the tourist spot to concentrate the Eid festival is a burden to most of the people”, added Mirza.

The reputed economist observed that middle-class people are avoiding family traveling with their dearest and nearest ones for minimizing the cost expenditure, resulting from the ongoing skyrocketing inflation.

“Middle-class people are facing severe hardship in purchasing essential commodities for overheated prices. The income level of the middle-class people did not increase, but the prices of lifesaving essential products increased many folds”, also added Mirza.

On the other hand, industry insiders are expecting booming the tourism business to concentrate on the Eid festival. According to the Tourist Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), around 500,000 people will visit different popular tourist spots this year during the Eid holidays. There are more than 500 hotels, motels, and resorts in Cox’s Bazar and these hotels and motels can host more than 200,000 tourists at once.

According to the Cox’s Bazar Hotel-Motel, Guest House Owners Association, the guests will start coming to Cox’s Bazar a day after Eid and they are expecting around one million guests on the second day of Eid celebrations.

Meanwhile, different hotels are offering 20 to 40 percent discounts on the rents for the rooms.

Sources in the hospitality industry said that most of the rooms have been booked and the remaining rooms will book ahead of the Eid vacation.

Shah Jamal Mostafa, Chief Executive Officer of Amial Group mentioned that a significant portion of the holidaymakers are planning to travel with friends and family on Eid holidays and many service holders have extended their leave.

“It is a normal scenario that the tourism business booms during the Eid holidays including at home and abroad, but the tendency of going abroad for Eid has declined this year due to multifarious reasons including the overheated inflation, significant rise in the price of dollars and air ticket”, Shah Jamal added.

Actually, people purchase dollars from the open market before traveling abroad, but the price of dollars has increased significantly to Tk 110 in the open market, Shah Jamal said adding that the additional cost of air tickets is discouraging many people to visit abroad.

The number of people going abroad on Eid holidays is low since the beginning of the pandemic transmission in the country.