Cox's Bazar, the country's main tourist destination, has come alive with a surge of visitors as a five-day holiday for Durga Puja and the weekend begins, with tourism businesses expecting more than 700,000 tourists over the period.
The extended holiday combines Durga Puja closures on 20 and 21 October, a special holiday on 22 October and the weekly holidays on 23 and 24 October. The beach is also expected to draw a large crowd tomorrow (21 October) for the Durga Puja immersion.
Today (20 October), the first day of the holiday, large crowds gathered at different points along the beach. Around 90% of hotel and motel rooms in the district have already been booked, according to tourism businesses.
Although the tourist season in Cox's Bazar generally begins in November, the extended holiday has brought an early influx of visitors from different parts of the country to enjoy the sea, the beach and the favourable weather.
A visit to Sugandha and Kolatoli points this afternoon found tourists spending time with family members and friends. Some were enjoying the waves, while others took photographs to preserve memories of their trips. Many were seen walking along the sandy beach, riding horses and using beach bikes and jet skis. Some were swimming in the sea, while others sat on beach loungers enjoying the sea breeze.
Beachside businesses said visitor numbers had increased since the morning. Alongside tourists, many local residents had also come to the beach. Favourable weather had brought renewed activity to the area, they said
Several tourists said Cox's Bazar beach remained an attractive destination and that they were enjoying the pleasant weather and spending quality time with their families by the sea.
With visitor numbers rising, authorities have strengthened security at the beach and other tourist spots. Lifeguards and security personnel are maintaining regular surveillance, while tourists are being advised to exercise caution when swimming and follow lifeguards' instructions.
Members of Sea-Safe Lifeguard will be on duty at Laboni, Sugandha and Kolatoli points to ensure the safety of swimmers. They are advising visitors to swim only in areas covered by lifeguard services so that rescue operations can be carried out quickly in an emergency.
Mohammad Selim Uddin, a rescuer with Sea-Safe Lifeguard, said safety measures were receiving greater attention as visitor numbers rose.
He urged tourists to remain cautious and follow lifeguards' instructions when entering the sea to avoid accidents.
Abul Kashem Sikder, president of the Cox's Bazar Hotel-Motel Owners Association, said hundreds of thousands of tourists had arrived at the start of the five-day holiday.
"We hope an average of 150,000 tourists will visit Cox's Bazar every day during the five-day holiday. On that basis, more than 700,000 tourists could visit over the five days. Cox's Bazar has more than 500 hotels, motels and cottages, and around 90% of the rooms in these accommodation facilities have already been booked," he said.
Tourist arrivals have also increased at other attractions across the district, including Marine Drive, Himchari waterfall, Dariyanagar, Inani and Patuartek.
The administration has stepped up monitoring to ensure visitor safety and service quality, particularly at hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses, to prevent overcharging and harassment.
Additional Superintendent of Police Md Ahidur Rahman said tourist police and district police teams were deployed at the beach and all other tourist destinations to ensure visitors' safety.
Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman Sayem, assistant commissioner and executive magistrate of the Cox's Bazar district administration's tourism cell, said authorities were monitoring businesses to prevent tourists from being overcharged or harassed.
"Tourist safety and proper management of the tourism industry are always our top priorities. We are monitoring the situation to ensure that no one charges excessive prices or harasses tourists in any way," he said.
Tourism experts have also stressed the need to ensure that visitors to Cox's Bazar do not face inconvenience or harassment during their stay.