Marquis Street await the return of Bangladeshi tourists

A few months ago, Marquis Street in Kolkata was abuzz with Bangladeshi tourists, but these days the crowd has declined rapidly. The businessmen here are facing severe problem as the number of tourists decreased due to the recent political turmoil and student movement in Bangladesh. Marquis Street is adjacent to Mirza Ghalib Street near Dharmatala in the heart of Kolkata. The place is often referred as a piece of Bangladesh in Kolkata. Visiting the area will feel like a reflection of Dhaka city. More than seventy percent of tourists are from Bangladesh who travels here.

Most of the Dhaka-Kolkata buses have booking counters here. Most of the Dhaka bound bepart from this area. Apart from this, everything from Bangladeshi currency exchange center to Bangladeshi food, clothes and accessories are available in Marquis Street. Be it Eid shopping or medical treatment, this Bangladeshi neighborhood of Kolkata is very close to the heart of people of Bangladesh. After overcoming the Covid pandemic the area was gradually filled with tourists again.

However, since the arrival of tourists from Bangladesh has declined recently, from hoteliers to food restaurants and clothes shopkeepers, everyone is again facing problems. The streets that used to be crowded with Bangladeshis thorough out the day and night, are now full of empty. The smell of the chicken biryani to haleem, the delicious morning snacks to the taro leaves cocked with prawns has faded away. Bangladeshis mainly travel to neighboring India for medical treatment, shopping and to spend leisure time.

Kolkata new market । Photo: Paul Hamilton

According to a report by the Indian news agency Economic Times, India received 9.23 million tourist arrivals last year. Out of which tourists from Bangladesh are more than 22.5 percent. According to the Economic Times report, a director of the Bangladesh Tour Operators Association said, “India is the destination of 40-50 percent of people who go out of the country from Bangladesh for various reasons.” More than 80 percent of people visit India for medical treatment, 15 percent for shopping and the remaining 5 percent for travel or leisure.

In this regard, Kolkata is a preferred shopping destination, especially before festivals. On the other hand, Sikkim, Northeast India and Kashmir also attract Bangladeshi tourists. Many people from Bangladesh go to Kolkata and India for various reasons including relatively limited cost of treatment and top quality medical facilities and the destination of a large part of them is Marquis Street. According to the statistics of the Indian media NDTV, the number of patients coming to India from Bangladesh increased from 304,067 in 2022 to 449,570 in 2023.

Primary destination of a large portion of this figure in Kolkata is from Bangladesh. Their buzz kept the trade and economy of the area adjacent to Marquis Street alive. According to a statement given to the press by the president of Central Kolkata Hotel Owners Association, Harmeet Singh, “Since the situation in Bangladesh became turbulent, hotel bookings in the region have decreased drastically, which is a big concern for businessmen.”

Ashraf Ali, owner of a local food hotel, told the Indian correspondent of Views Bangladesh, “Our business is completely dependent on Bangladeshi tourists.” They usually stay in hotels around this area. We make foods liked by Bangladeshis. Sales have been down for quite some time now. If it continues like this, we will face big difficulties. Maybe we have to reduce the number of the staffs too. Now the traders are hoping that Marquis Street will be filled with Bangladeshi tourists again in coming days.