Tourist spots bustle with holidaymakers in Bandarban

On the fourth day of Eid, tourists flocked to Bandarban's tourist centers. After the lifting of the long-standing travel ban, local and Chittagong region tourists have also come to spend a long vacation along with domestic and foreign tourists.

After the previous three-day tourist drought, the tourist spots were crowded with millions of people on Tuesday (June 10). Many have come to visit with their families and friends. There are no vacant rooms in the district's hotels, motels, resort guesthouses. Not a single one of the four hundred moon cars carrying tourists is sitting at the jeep station at Dhaneshpakhi intersection in the city. All of them are rushing to their favorite spots with tourists.

Tourists say, 'Bandarban is a wonderful place to travel, decorated with hilly nature and artistic touches. The overall situation, including security measures, is also tourist-friendly.' However, some also said that women are suffering due to the lack of adequate sanitation facilities in tourist spots.

It has been seen on the spot that travelers are visiting tourist centers including Nil Diganta, Nilachal, Nilgiri, Meghla Lake, Prantik Lake, Shailprapat, Buddhist Temple, Chimbuk Hill, famous for Darjeeling in Bengal, and Double Hands View and Titanic View Points on the Nilgiri Road. Tourists are also meeting at distant and distant places full of natural beauty like numerous waterfalls, mysterious Devtakhum, Ali's Tunnel.

They are happy to get a pure touch of nature surrounded by eye-catching beauty by going around the mountains or in the waters of Meghla Lake in paddle boats and engine boats. Many people are also enjoying taking group photos in front of Dim Pahar, the Golden Temple, a pilgrimage site for Buddhists, the statues of Ramajadi and Gautam Buddha, the tunnel built inside the mountain, and the hanging bridge of Meghla Lake. There is also no place to take a selfie in comfort somewhere.

Tourists Muktar Ali Rahan and Raihan, who are visiting Nilachal, said, "Bandarban is unique in terms of seeing the beauty of the mountains. This is like a miraculous gift from God. Whenever I get time during the holidays, I come here, it feels good. Seeing the sea alongside the mountains never makes me sad."

Tourists Sanjida and Shayela, in front of Meghla Lake, said, "The mountains here are amazingly beautiful. The tourist spots are decorated with nature and artistic touches. Since there have been no unpleasant incidents under the security and surveillance of the law enforcement agencies, I can roam around without worry."

There are more than a hundred hotels, motels, resorts, guest houses in the district to serve tourists. There are also more than four hundred tourist cars transporting tourists. In total, 30,000 people are directly and indirectly involved in the tourism business. In addition to the busy activities throughout the day to welcome tourists, they are also optimistic about the further expansion of the tourism industry.

Kamal Ahmed, the labor leader of the tourist cars, said that after a long time, all the tourist cars have been rented out due to the lifting of the travel ban and the long Eid holiday. No cars were parked at the station. Instead, tourists had to wait for the car. The transport officials also had to struggle to cope with the pressure.

Jasim Uddin, general secretary of the District Hotel Owners Association, said that there is no longer any obstacle to traveling to the diverse district of Bandarban. The lifting of the travel ban along with the Eid holidays has met with the expected response from tourists. Tourists are able to comfortably visit the tourist spots in all upazilas.

He said, "There were not many tourists in the first few days of the Eid holiday. However, on Tuesday, all the rooms in all the hotels and motel resorts were booked. There are no empty rooms anywhere. We are all optimistic that many more tourists will come in the coming days. If the situation is normal like this, the tourism industry in the hills will also recover quickly after overcoming the ban."

Additional Deputy Commissioner Manjurul Haque said, the administration has withdrawn the travel ban on the advice of the army. The entire Bandarban is now open for travelers. There are no security problems. Tourists can safely and comfortably travel to their favorite tourist spots. The administration, along with the law enforcement agencies, are working to ensure their overall safety and comfortable travel.