Tour operators count losses in political unrest

Around 2,500 foreign tourists have cancelled their trips to Bangladesh since January due to political unrest, causing a revenue loss of at least Tk 50 crore to the country, tour operators said yesterday.
“Foreign tourists no longer think Bangladesh is a safe place for holidaymakers due to the political violence in the last several months,” said Hasan Mansur, president of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh.
The tour operators urged the political parties to shun confrontational programmes so the tourism sector remains unscathed from the ongoing turbulences.
A rising number of tourists, both local and foreign, are cancelling their planned trips, they said.
"Each foreign tourist spends at least $80 per day on accommodation, food and transport while staying in Bangladesh," said Masud Hossain, first vice president of the association.
The tour operators formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club to voice their concern about the ongoing unrest.
Tourism is a multifaceted industry and the number of tourists rose to one billion globally in 2012, up by 15-20 percent compared to the previous year, Mansur said.
Last year Bangladesh attracted tourists more than expectation, he said.
Tour operators were expecting another successful year, but it did not happen, said Mansur, who is also the managing director of The Guide Tours Ltd, a leading operator.
Tourist movement is a key challenge during shutdowns, as transport operators refuse to rent vehicles for fear of vandalism, he said.
The tour operators also urged the political parties to keep the tourist vehicles out of the purview of shutdowns.  The operators, their number being around 220, employ more than 25,000 people directly and indirectly.
The losses the operators are incurring will also affect employment in the sector, Mansur said, adding that his company lost around 500 tourists in the last three months.
This has caused him to lose around Tk 50 lakh to Tk 75 lakh, he told The Daily Star.
Foreign tourist arrivals in Bangladesh stood at 199,000 in 2000, according to a report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
The number rose by 56.25 percent over the decade to 303,000 in 2010, the report said.
The travel and tourism sector raked in Tk 18,250 crore, about 2.2 percent of Bangladesh's gross domestic product in 2011, according to a study by World Travel & Tourism Council.
Bangladesh sees tourist arrivals mainly from Europe and Japan, and the market grew by 10-15 percent in 2012, compared to the previous year, industry people said.