Kuakata ready to welcome more Eid visitors this year

Kuakata, one of the top tourist attractions in Southern Bangladesh, have taken all-out preparations to host a large number of Eid holidaymakers during the five-day vacation this year.

Local hotels and motels have finished last-minute touch-ups for a comfortable stay for tourists and meanwhile, the district administration has taken initiatives to ensure their safety and security.

At least 2 lakh tourists would visit Kuakata in Patuakhali during the holiday from Wednesday to Sunday, assumed local businessmen related to the tourism industry.

Kuakata Tourism Management Association (Kutum) General Secretary Hossain Amir said travellers now choose Kuakata over Cox's Bazar as it takes less time for them to reach here from Dhaka because of the Padma Bridge.

Here, they enjoy the sunrise and sunset from the same beach, he added.

To make this experience even better, the Kalapara upazila administration has taken initiatives to enhance the natural beauty of Kuakata beach and its surrounding areas.

As part of this, small businesses which were scattered in the beach area were removed and shifted to other places before Eid.

Kalapara Upazila Nirbahi Officer Jahangir Hossain held a meeting on Wednesday with other stakeholders to take various steps in this connection.

In the meeting, it was decided not to keep any shops, motorbikes, speedboats, tourist boats, and fry markets in half a kilometre area on both sides of the zero point of the beach.

These shops and businesses will be placed on the eastern side of the Kuakata Tourism Park. An area of 1km on either side of the beach will be open for unhindered movement of tourists.

In that meeting, the authorities decided to remove fake boats, hotels, motels, resorts, and restaurants to improve the experience of tourists. Alongside, they also set fares for auto-rickshaws and motorbikes.

To reduce public suffering on the roads, the under-construction bus stand in the Tulatali area was prepared for car parking.

Kuakata Municipal Mayor Anwar Howladar said, "The parking space is being allocated to reduce the suffering of the tourists coming to Kuakata."

There are more than 150 small and big hotels in Kuakata. The total capacity of these hotels is between 20,000 and 25,000 people. Another 5,000 tourists can pile up and stay overnight during peak tourist hours.

If there are more tourists than this, a few tourists can stay in the nearby houses under community tourism.

Russel Khan, managing director of Khan Palace, said, "Most of the hotel rooms were empty during the month of Ramadan. However, all our rooms have already been booked ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr."

Motaleb Sharif, general secretary of Kuakata Hotel-Motel Owners Association, said, "Even a few years ago, we could serve tourists without taking any additional preparation. Now, due to the Padma Bridge, the number of tourists has increased so much that we need to prepare."

Hasnain Parvez, in charge of Tourist Police (Kuakata region), said, "We have already written to a team of fire service to stay here round the clock. Tourist police patrol will be strengthened at every tourist spot around Kuakata. Also, there will be plainclothes police at every spot."