The hotels, resorts and restaurants owners in Bandarban are facing a huge loss in their business due to the tourist ban from October 8 to October 31. These establishments might get closed indefinitely, as feared by the owners.
When this correspondent spoke with the owners of hotel, resorts and restaurants in Bandarban on Monday, they expressed their fear, saying they are counting losses due to the tourist ban in Bandarban.
The business owners said that hundreds of people across the district have invested in the tourism sector, hoping for minimal profits from services. However, since 2019, the tourism industry in Bandarban has been severely impacted by challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, devastating floods, and the recent activities of the separatist group Kuki-Chin, which led to continuous restrictions on tourist visits to many of Bandarban's popular spots. Although some areas were reopened on a limited scale, the current political instability has discouraged the expected number of tourists from visiting, causing a major blow to businesses dependent on tourism.
Their business fell sharply when on October 8, the district administration put a ban on tourist visit to Bandarban until October 31, resulting in many investors struggling to cover expenses. Many have laid off their staffs and closed their business. Hotel Demore’s manager, Happy Marma, said that their hotel incurs a daily expense of at least Tk 50,000. Due to the absence of tourists, the hotel has been closed since the 5th of this month.
Restaurant Owners’ Association President Gias Uddin Master said that, due to a prolonged lack of tourists, restaurant owners have suffered extensive losses. Unable to cover the expenses, nearly 25 restaurants in the district, including Beai Bari, Garden City, and Kolapata, have already closed. He fears that if the travel restrictions are not eased after the 31st of this month, more restaurants may have to shut down.
Bandarban Residential Hotel Owners' Association General Secretary Jasim Uddin said tourism-related businesses in Bandarban have faced continuous losses since the end of 2019. Many hotel owners have already had to change ownership as they could not bear ongoing expenses, resulting in closures of hotels such as Hotel Demore, Lava Tong, and Hotel Hillbird, along with several others. If the travel restrictions are not relaxed after October 31, they will have no choice but to shut down remaining hotels.
During a visit to Bandarban on October 20, Adviser to Ministry of Religious Affairs AFM Khalid Hossain said he will take initiative to ask Bandarban Deputy Commissioner to lift the ban. However, when this correspondent tried to contact the Deputy Commissioner regarding the matter, he did not respond.
