About 80 percent of rooms booked

Cox’s Bazar is expecting more than 500,000 tourists during the five-day Durga Puja holidays from October 20 to 24, with around 80 per cent of hotel, motel and resort rooms already booked in advance, tourism businesses say.

To accommodate the anticipated influx, hotels and resorts are preparing to provide services while Bangladesh Railway plans to operate special trains on October 20, 23 and 24 to ease pressure on passenger transport.

Abul Kashem Sikder, president of the Cox’s Bazar Hotel-Motel Owners Association, told Cox’s Bazar Life that the district could receive an average of 100,000 tourists a day during the holidays.

‘We expect more than 500,000 tourists to visit Cox’s Bazar over the five days,’ he said.

He said the district has accommodation facilities of different categories, including hotels, motels, and cottages, and that bookings are increasing. Many establishments had already booked around 70 per cent of their rooms, he added.

Nazim Uddin, president of the Cox’s Bazar Hotel Employees Union, said hotels and motels were receiving a strong response ahead of the consecutive holidays. Star-rated hotels had already booked most of their rooms, and tourism businesses anticipated a busy week.

Sayeed Alamgir, public relations officer at star-rated Ocean Paradise, said hotels were prepared to serve tourists and generally received significant bookings during consecutive holidays. This year, the combination of Durga Puja and weekly holidays had also generated a positive response.

He said the hotel expected around 80 per cent of its rooms to be booked from the beginning to the end of the holiday period and was preparing to provide the best possible service.

Rana Karmakar, manager of Mermaid Beach Resort at Pechar Dwip, beside Marine Drive in Ramu, said around 80 per cent of the resort’s rooms had already been booked. The resort would extend greetings to guests on Durga Puja, while its restaurant would remain open to all, including non-guests.

Tarek Aziz, the front office manager at the star-rated Best Western Heritage, reported that guests had already booked 80–90 per cent of the hotel’s rooms in advance. The hotel would also offer a buffet dinner featuring more than 50 items for Tk 1,200 on October 20, 21 and 22.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway will operate special trains on October 20, 23 and 24 to manage the additional passenger demand during the holidays.

According to the schedule, the Dhaka Special train from Chattogram to Dhaka will leave at 2:30pm on October 20 and arrive in Dhaka at 7:30pm. On the same day, the Tourist Special train from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar will depart at 10:30pm and reach Cox’s Bazar at 6:50am the following day.

On October 23, a special train from Cox’s Bazar to Dhaka will leave at 11:30am and arrive in the capital at 8:00pm. The Tourist Special from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar will depart at 10:30pm that night and arrive at its destination at 6:50am the following day.

On October 24, the Tourist Special from Cox’s Bazar to Dhaka will leave at 11:30am and reach Dhaka at 8:00pm. The Chattogram Special from Dhaka to Chattogram will depart at 10:30pm and is scheduled to arrive in Chattogram at 4:00am the following day.

Cox’s Bazar Railway Station Manager Zainal Abedin confirmed the special train services, saying passenger pressure on trains bound for Cox’s Bazar increased significantly during consecutive holidays.

He said the special trains were allocated to manage the additional demand, and necessary preparations were completed to ensure safe journeys.

Currently, the Cox’s Bazar Express and Tourist Express operate between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar, while the Saikat Express and Prabal Express run between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar. The additional services are expected to increase passenger capacity, ease pressure on road transport, and make travel more convenient for tourists.

However, tourism stakeholders said ensuring security, cleanliness, and service quality at the beach and other tourist attractions would be essential to manage the expected influx, alongside preparations in the accommodation and transport sectors.

Tasnim Jahan, additional deputy commissioner (general) of Cox’s Bazar, said the district administration was making necessary preparations ahead of the tourism season.

‘The number of tourists will increase during the Durga Puja holidays. We will work in coordination with law enforcement agencies and all relevant organisations to ensure their safety and comfort,’ she said.

By Rashid Manik

Photo: Abdu Rashid Manik