<i>Kuakata desolate at prime tourism time </i>
Almost empty Kuakata sea beach a day before the 31st night (night of December 31). Photo: STAR
Unlike in previous years, attractive Kuakata tourist spot with a vast sea beach is almost empty now. There is no tourist here this year even on the eve of 31st night. The sea beach and greens around are almost desolate as cyclone Sidr demolished many spots like tamarisk garden, coconut garden, dry fish zone. In previous years, the beach remained full of tourists from home and abroad to welcome the New Year. The main attraction was the last sunset of the year in the Bay of Bengal. All hotels, motels and tourists lodges were jam packed with visitors' in previous years. But their owners and other service providers lament now for tourists. Talking to this correspondent, Farukuzzaman, manager of Kuakata Motel of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC), said, “Winter and spring are prime periods for tourism. But it is a different scene this year. We are facing hard days in the current winter as arrival of tourist has fallen drastically. Tourists from home and abroad are now scared after Sidr.” Scores of tourists from different areas of the country used to crowd Kuakata and we had good business this time of the year. “We earned over Tk one lakh during the occasion last year but there is no tourist this year,” he said. “'We receive phone calls from home and abroad. They (tourists) ask about the post-Sidr situation and do not book hotel rooms,” he said. This correspondent visited Kuakata yesterday and saw no tourists in the beach. This will also affect cottage industries because tourists are their main buyers. Hotel owner Mahbub Hossain said, “The Sidr feared is yet in their minds. Moreover, many tourists spots have been damaged and the beach looks battered”. Government has an important role now to help rebuild the structures as soon as possible, he said.
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