Despite the absence of tourists during the holy month of Ramadan, Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach remains far from deserted at dusk.
The country’s premier tourist destination, Cox’s Bazar, typically teems with visitors from home and abroad throughout the year.
However, since the beginning of Ramadan, a different picture has emerged. Hotels, motels, beach chairs, and tourism-related businesses are operating without their usual bustle.
Yet the absence of tourists has not rendered the beach entirely silent. Every afternoon, hundreds of local residents gather at various points along the shoreline — from the town centre to Himchari National Park — to share the evening meal and break their fast with family members and friends.
Sitting together by the sea at sunset has gradually become a seasonal tradition.
On Wednesday afternoon, groups arrived with homemade meals, while others bought snacks from nearby stalls.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting warm hues across the Bay, they broke their fast at sunset while enjoying the scenic view.
Local youth Abdul said that with fewer tourists during Ramadan, the beach offers a calmer, more comfortable environment.
In the summer heat, sharing the evening meal in the cool sea breeze brings a special sense of peace, he said, adding that the number of people coming to the beach at sunset has been increasing as temperatures rise.
Thus, even amid the seasonal tourist slowdown, Cox’s Bazar beach regains a different kind of vibrancy each evening during Ramadan.
By Mohammad Morshed
Photo: Hussain Shetu
