We often hear about tourists meeting fatal deaths in Bangladesh. If we exclude the 11 tragic deaths in a tourist microbus at Mirsharai, Chattogram, a few days ago when a running train pushed it on level crossing, the tourists dying by other causes, particularly from drowning, is not small. According to a report published in The New Nation Sunday at least 21 tourists died in the last 80 days in Bangladesh, mostly by drowning.
During the monsoon, water bodies in the Haor region become full to the brim and the beauty of the long and wide stretch of water itself becomes a great tourist attraction. Internal tourists increasingly visit the Haor region at this time. Since there are no safe water vessels for tourists, incidents of drowning often occur. In 2020 and 2021, some 22 people died in Haor. Unfortunately, those who do not know swimming also venture to go to Haor to enjoy the natural beauty. They float on boats, but if it accidentally drowns, they fall victims.
Besides Sylhet and Kishoreganj, in Cox’s Bazar also tourists are regularly reported to have died by drowning. This certainly is not good for the healthy development of the country’s tourism industry that is beset with various other problems. If Bangladesh wants to earn substantially from this sector it has to make improvements in regard to its inadequate tourist infrastructure as well as safe travel for tourists.
The annual tourism season which begins in October and ends in April is yet to come, and it is expected that authorities of Bangladesh’s tourism industry will be able to reap more than the desired benefits by changing the scenario this season. During this period, foreign tourists from remote countries such as the UK, the US, Japan, Canada, and Germany, rush to the country’s prime tourist spots. After Covid-19, this year the country might see a large number of foreign tourists.
It is also expected that the two important tourist spots of the country, the world’s longest sea beach in Cox’s Bazar and the largest mangrove forest of Sunderbans, will be made convenient for the tourists. Besides these two tourist attractions, there are many attractive tourist spots scattered all across the country. There are the three hill districts as well as Kuakata sea beach. The historical sites in the northern region and other parts of the country are also of great importance for the tourists.
But, as there is a marked lack of infrastructure such as convenient roads to the spots and standard resting places, these spots fail to generate the tourist’s attention. We hope Bangladesh’s tourism industry will overcome these drawbacks to earn substantially from this sector like the other countries of the region.
