Shawdesh Desk:
Thousands of tourists visit Sylhet every year during the Eid holidays, making the tourist centers there buzzing with activities. Travellers usually had to book rooms in advance for their stays in Sylhet because rooms became very scarce during that period.
However, the situation was very different during the Eid holidays this year as the administration issued a ban on the entry of tourists to Sylhet since the day of Eid-ul-Azha as a severe flood hit the area at dawn on that day.
The hotels, motels, and resorts of Sylhet have been lying empty due to lack of tourists. Even on a big occasion like Eid, the entrepreneurs of this sector are facing a huge loss due to lack of tourists.
Considering the damage, some tourist centres have been opened since 23 June (Sunday), but till Friday there were not many visitors. According to the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industries, the loss of the tourism sector in Sylhet will exceed Tk400 crore.
Mridul Datta Mistu, general manager of Hotel City in Zindabazar area of the city, “We take preparation to deal with extra pressure during Eid every year. New investments are also made at this time. The business is very good during the Eid holidays every year, but the situation is very bad this year. The entire hotel has been empty since Eid. There are no guests.”
Jaflong of Gowainghat upazila is one of the tourist attractions of Sylhet. It is always crowded with tourists, and during Eid, there is no place even to put one’s foot. However, this tourist centre was also declared closed from the day of Eid. It was reopened on Sunday, but the tourist spot was still almost empty since then.
Tourists enter the main tourist center here through cluster villages in the Jaflong area, where hundreds of permanent and temporary businesses have been established.
Visiting the area on Monday, this correspondent found that all the businesses, except for only a few, were closed. Even those that are open had no buyers.
Abdur Rahim, who makes a living by taking tourists’ photos, said, “This Eid season has gone very badly. No tourists are coming. We are almost unemployed due to the lack of tourists.”
Babul Ahmed, the owner of the green resort in this area, said no guests have come to the resort after Eid. Such a situation happened once during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other than that, they never hit such a snag.
Jaflong Tourist Centre Business Association President Hossain Mia said, “Our business depends on tourists. There are about 600 businesses in Jaflong. The owners, employees and their family members are suffering, not only in Jaflong, but in all the tourist centres of Sylhet. Tourists have not come to any tourist centre including Sadapathar, Ratargul, Lalakhal, Bichhanakandi areas this Eid season.”
People involved in this sector said Sylhet receives the highest number of tourists during the monsoon season. The mountains, springs, haors, water bodies, and rivers here are most beautiful during the monsoons. This Eid has fallen in the monsoon season. So, this time, the entrepreneurs of this sector expected a huge influx of tourists, but when the flood came, their hopes were dashed.
Bichhanakandi is one of the most attractive tourist centers in Sylhet. The rivers, springs, and mountains there don a charming look in the monsoon season. However, this year they could not attract any tourists.
During the monsoon, the number of tourists also increases in Sunamganj’s Tanguar Haor. Overnight cruises to Tanguar Haor on houseboats during the monsoon have become popular with tourists in recent times. However, there are no tourists in the area due to the flood.
Rise in losses feared for flood fallouts
According to the Sylhet Hotel Motel Resort Owner Association, there are more than 500 hotels and motels in Sylhet district, most of which are now completely empty.
Sumat Nuri Jewel, president of Sylhet Hotel Motel Resort Owner Association, said due to floods, many big hotels and resorts are not getting guests even after announcing 60-70% discount.
Sylhet Chamber of Commerce President Tahmin Ahmed said not only hotels and motels, but also rickshaw drivers and cloth merchants in Sylhet are affected by the lack of tourists. The business and trade of some areas including Sreemangal, Jaflong are completely dependent on tourists. The situation is more aggravating for the businesses, because this is the peak season of the tourism sector in Sylhet.
Due to floods, the loss of the tourism sector in the entire division will be over Tk400 crore. It will not be possible to bring travellers back to Sylhet even if the flood subsides, because most of the roads were damaged. Infrastructure has also been damaged. Apart from this, there is also a fear of floods in the minds of tourists. As a result, the losses in this sector will increase further.
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