No reliable data on foreign tourists visiting Cox’s Bazar

Relevant authorities have no reliable data on how many foreign tourists visit Cox’s Bazar each year. The district administration, airport authorities, hotel and motel owners, and even the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation do not know how many foreigners visit the world’s longest sea beach solely for tourism.

According to discussions with relevant stakeholders, a large number of foreign nationals staying in Cox’s Bazar have come for work with various private organisations. They stay in rented homes or hotels and motels. Although they travel around during breaks from work, they have not come primarily for tourism purposes.

Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md A Mannan said, ‘A large number of foreign nationals are staying here in connection with development projects, international organisations or activities related to Rohingya camps. As a result, there is no system to separately identify foreigners who have come for tourism. We do not have information on exactly how many come solely for travel purposes.’ 

He also said the district administration’s tourism cell has not been able to establish a separate system to monitor the arrival of foreign tourists.

Foreign tourists or foreign nationals?

Although foreign nationals are present in Cox’s Bazar, not all of them can be counted as tourists. The Cox’s Bazar International Airport also does not maintain separate data on the matter.

Airport Acting Director Md Golam Mostofa said there is no way to separately identify which of the foreign nationals travelling through the airport are genuine tourists. However, he noted that the number is ‘not significant enough to mention’.

Although police have information on some foreign nationals, it is not comprehensive. Additional Superintendent of Police (DSB) Md Firoz Kabir said there is an obligation to submit the whereabouts and information of citizens from certain countries to the police. However, the police do not have an overall count of tourists outside this category.

Genuine tourists ‘very few’

Rayhan Uddin Ahmed, manager of Hotel Shaibal in Cox’s Bazar under the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, said that although foreigners working for international organisations or visiting for work are present, the number of genuine foreign tourists is negligible.

He said, ‘International tourism does not develop simply by having hotels to stay in. It requires quality services, entertainment, nightlife, parks, cinemas, various facilities and an overall environment of security.’

Business community’s view

Abdul Shukkur, president of the Cox’s Bazar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that although many domestic tourists visit Cox’s Bazar throughout the year, no international or leisure tourists are coming. He also identified a lack of promotion through Bangladesh’s various missions and consulates at the international level as a reason.

The business leader suggested developing Cox’s Bazar Airport as an international aviation hub, providing facilities to foreign airlines and strengthening promotional activities to increase the number of foreign tourists.

Tourism environment needs development

Despite its long sea beach, hills, forests, islands and marine biodiversity, Cox’s Bazar’s appeal has not been turned into economic potential in the international market.

Mohammad Shoaib Ur Rahman, an associate professor at the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Dhaka University, believes that local infrastructure and the environment need to be prepared before promotion at the international level. Alongside the lack of efforts to promote Cox’s Bazar on the global stage, various minor inconveniences, including transportation problems, are also preventing tourists from having positive experiences, he said.

Nusrat Jahan, an associate professor in the same department at Dhaka University, stressed the need to create an environment suitable for foreign tourists. She suggested presenting local culture as a tourism product through Baul music events, Jamdani and muslin exhibitions, paintings and local food. She also called for the development of international-standard entertainment centres, theme parks, planned night markets and beachside restaurants.

However, private eco-resort operators disagree with the claim that there are no foreign tourists in Cox’s Bazar. Rana Karmakar, manager of Mermaid Eco Resort, said foreign tourists visiting their resort already know about eco-friendly tourism. Promotion by international media is playing a positive role in this regard.

Many businesspeople and people associated with the administration believe that although there are discussions about building an international airport or new hotels, it will be difficult to increase the number of tourists without overall security, modern transportation and quality entertainment facilities for foreign visitors. However, the basic question of exactly how many foreign tourists visit Cox’s Bazar each year remains unanswered by the district administration and those involved in the tourism sector.