Tourist-starved ‘Mini B’desh’ hotels scale down ops even in yr-end season
Times of India | 29 December 2024
1234 Kolkata: ‘Mini Bangladesh' does not seem to have any hope for business revival even in the year-end festive season as visitors from Bangladesh continue to cancel travel plans amid unrest in their country. Hotel occupancy has plummeted, eateries have been forced to scale down operations and retail businesses have been struggling to stay afloat in areas around Marquis Street, Free School Street, Kyd Street, and Sudder Street, which have been wearing a deserted look.
According to hotel owners and retailers, Dec and Jan are peak seasons, attracting a large number of tourists due to festivities in Kolkata and year-end holidays in Bangladesh. "This is the peak season for business in this area. Hotels are usually full, and it is difficult to find space in eateries. Bangladesh tourists prefer to spend their year-end holidays in Kolkata due to the weather and festivities here. But this year, business is badly affected due to the unrest in Bangladesh," said Hyder Ali Khan, general secretary of Free School Street Traders' Association.
Such is the condition that many hotels in the central Kolkata area have shut entire floors to minimise maintenance costs. Rooms that used to be booked for weeks on end are now available at half the usual rates. "Room rates increased by 20%-40% in this period, but now they've dropped drastically," said Sabuj Talukder, a receptionist.
Abu Hamis, a visitor from Tangail, said rooms were indeed available for much less. "The same room on Mirza Ghalib Street that I rented for Rs 2,000 a day last year now costs Rs 800," he said. The absence of tourists has also taken a toll on the local retail and food industries. Shops that thrived on Bangladeshi customers are reporting dwindling sales.
"We're offering discounts of up to 50% to attract Indian and European tourists. The occupancy rate from Bangladesh is very low," said Md Saif Shamim, joint secretary of Free School Street Traders' Association, which represents over 500 hotel owners and traders in the area.
A travel agent, Anil Das, pointed out that last year, they did not get time even to sleep in Dec and Jan. Money exchangers, who often catered to late-night travellers, are seeing a decline in business. "A family from Dhaka spent the night at my shop last year as they couldn't find a room," said Monoronjon Roy, a money exchanger.