The number of travel enthusiasts is now higher than ever before. With the rising income of the country's growing middle class and improved communication networks, people are flocking to the mountains, seas, or forests to escape the exhaustion of mechanised urban life whenever they get a break. This is undoubtedly a positive development and a promising economic prospect for the country's tourism industry.
Every year, millions of domestic tourists travel within the country, giving a significant boost to the local economy. However, a dark side to this promising sector is becoming increasingly evident- an alarming rise in fatal accidents at tourist spots. Due to a severe lack of proper monitoring and safety measures, tragic incidents, including the loss of tourists' lives, have now become a regular occurrence.
In recent years, countless hotels and resorts have mushroomed across various tourist destinations, particularly in Sylhet, the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Cox's Bazar, St Martin's Island, areas adjacent to the Sundarbans, and Sreemangal. To attract tourists, business owners have engaged in a fierce competition to build properties branded as “eco-cottages” or “eco-resorts”.
By international standards, 'eco-tourism' refers to enjoying nature without harming the environment, utilising renewable energy, and maintaining proper waste management. In our country, however, its application is largely confined to signboards and catchy names. These cottages are being constructed haphazardly on mountain peaks, cliff edges, near waterfalls, or deep inside forests. Building these structures by cutting hills, clearing trees, or obstructing natural river flows not only heightens the risk of landslides but also endangers local biodiversity due to plastic and waste left behind by tourists.
We have recently witnessed horrifying evidence of how infrastructural flaws and safety deficits lead to fatalities. The tragic death of at least 10 tourists in a devastating fire at the TUPTUP Resort in the Inani area along Cox's Bazar Marine Drive has laid bare the structural vulnerabilities of so-called eco-resorts and the gross negligence in administrative oversight.
The only entry and exit route for this three-story wooden resort was through its restaurant. There was no emergency exit whatsoever. Multiple tourists who had previously stayed at the resort confirmed this alarming detail. Since a restaurant kitchen naturally carries the highest risk of fire, routing the only passageway through it was extremely hazardous. It was solely due to the negligent oversight of the local administration that such a fatally flawed resort obtained permission to operate commercially.
Accidents are not confined to the resorts alone. When tourists venture into wild mountain rivers, remote waterfalls (such as Khaiyachhara, Nafakhum, or Amiakhum), or the sea, adequate warning guidelines are glaringly absent. Every year, tourists are pulled into quicksand and hidden underwater pits in Jaflong or Bisanakandi of Sylhet, as well as at the Cox's Bazar beach.
Despite the hoisting of red flags (danger signals) during low tide at the Cox's Bazar beach, many tourists blatantly ignore them, and the number of lifeguards deployed there is woefully inadequate. On the other hand, tragic accidents frequently occur on the steep, winding hilly roads of Sajek or Thanchi due to reckless, unskilled drivers and unfit “Chander Gari” (outdated local SUVs) overturning. In the absence of strict monitoring by the local administration, excess tourists are allowed entry without any consideration for the 'carrying capacity' of these spots, which only multiplies the risks.
The tourism industry cannot merely be a sector for generating revenue by building infrastructure and showcasing natural beauty; it is intrinsically linked to the safety of human lives. For the sustainable development of this sector, several urgent measures must be implemented immediately:
• Strict regulations and approvals: The rampant, unregulated permission to build resorts or cottages must be halted. It must be ensured that no resort operates without structural safety certificates and coordinated clearances from the Ministry of Tourism, the Bangladesh Tourism Board, the Fire Service, and the Department of Environment.
• Determining carrying capacity: A specific daily limit (quota) must be established for the number of tourists allowed into ecologically sensitive areas like St Martin's, Sajek, or the Sundarbans.
• Regular monitoring and accountability: Local administrations, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Tourism must conduct regular mobile courts. Institutions violating safety conditions must have their licenses revoked or premises sealed off, and tour operators must be held fully accountable.
• Strengthening security measures: The visible and effective presence of lifeguards, warning signboards, and Tourist Police must be ensured at every high-risk tourist spot. Driver training must be mandated, and the movement of unfit vehicles on hilly roads must be strictly banned.
• Emergency response teams and insurance: Special helplines and local emergency response teams must be formed to provide immediate medical assistance and rapid rescue operations for resorts located in remote, inaccessible areas. Additionally, mandatory “Tourist Insurance” should be introduced for travelers.
Tourists, too, must remain conscious of their personal safety during travels and refrain from engaging in risky behavior driven by sheer excitement. However, given the widespread mismanagement and the alarming number of fatalities at tourist spots across Bangladesh, the state and the administration can in no way evade their responsibility for oversight. Ensuring that recreational destinations do not turn into death traps is the urgent demand of the hour. If proper monitoring, strict accountability, and tourist-friendly safety measures are not ensured, this highly promising tourism industry will soon completely lose public trust.
Muhammad Mostafigur Rahman is the head of news photography at bdnews24.com