Tag Archives: Bangladesh

Silence of the Lambs

Two things are happening in stark contrast of each other, and unsavory to both, India’s inbound trade and the Government. The gulf between inbound and outbound has continued to widen. In 2019, India’s best tourism year in terms of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs), the country received 10.9 million visitors against 26.9 million outbound Indian tourists. India was producing 2.5 tourists for every single tourist it received.

In 2023, which was the first Covid-free travel year, India’s outbound tourism bounced back strongly, registering a record 27.1 million outbound visitors. However, inbound was different story. In the absence of any credible plan or promotions in the overseas market, India could barely reach 85 per cent (9.2 million) of its peak 2019 number. So, in 2023, India was producing nearly 3 outbound tourists for every single tourist it received.

Come 2024, there was near unanimity across stakeholders, Government or private, of not just a full inbound recovery but potentially, a growth. However, H1 2024 numbers were still 10 per cent behind the peak 2019 corresponding period. And if that was not enough, the political turmoil in India’s biggest tourism source market, Bangladesh that began in July not only decimated any hope of a rebound in H2 2024, but has potentially already dragged the year-till-date 2024 number below the corresponding 2023 period. As for the available data for H1 2024, India was producing 3.15 outbound tourists for every single tourist it received. And for June alone, the gulf has further widened to 3.4 outbound travellers for a single tourist received!

Now, what’s utterly surprising is that given the plethora industry associations and federations, inbound has miserably failed to argue its case so far. A big shout out and a joint representation, cobbled together bringing every sector of tourism industry, and led by some of the most powerful voices like those of Taj, the Oberoi, the Lalit, the Park, Marriott, Air India, IndiGo, and the IATOs and the HAIs of the industry, is the need of the hour!

Bangladesh restricts tourism in southeastern hills amid unease calmness

Bangladesh yesterday imposed a travel ban on three southeastern hill districts amid sectarian tensions between local ethnic minority communities and Bengali settlers in the region, which has left five people dead and several injured.

The deputy commissioners or administrative chiefs of the three districts, bordering India and Myanmar, in separate but similar statements, requested tourists not to visit the region, called Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT), from Oct 8-31.

The deputy commissioners of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban hill districts issued the statements, citing “unavoidable grounds”, without providing further details.

Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Khan said the instruction applied to all three hill districts, a popular tourist destination.

CHT is the abode of over a dozen, mostly Buddhist majority, ethnic minority groups, while the ban came days after the monks scrapped their scheduled “Kaathin Chibor Dan” or “offering of yellow robes to monks” festival, citing security reasons.

The festival was scheduled to be held in mid-October.

The authorities previously discouraged travel to Sajek Valley, one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in Bangladesh, for an indefinite period amid sectarian tensions between indigenous hill communities and the Bengali migrants.

The sectarian violence, which erupted last month after a Bengali youth was beaten to death by a mob over a motorcycle theft incident in Khagrachhari district, claimed four lives.

The ethnic minority or tribal groups enforced a temporary blockade in the three hill districts while authorities ordered an extra vigil by army troops and police and enforced a ban on rallies.

The unrest prompted the interim government of Muhammad Yunus to issue a stern warning against any attempt to instigate violence in the region, which experienced a two-decade insurgency before a peace deal was inked in 1997.

His three senior advisers, equivalent to ministers, visited the region and met leaders of the feuding communities at Rangamati Cantonment.

“None will be spared if found responsible. If they attempt this again in the future, they will face severe consequences,” Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd.) Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said at that time.

Their meeting decided to form a high-level committee to investigate the recent incidents of violence in Rangamati and Khagrachari districts.

“There is an external conspiracy attempting to destroy our harmony,” Hasan Arif, one of the three advisers, told the meeting.

The proposed committee would uncover those involved to be exposed to justice or dealt with accordingly, he added.

The 1997 peace agreement between the then regime of now ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samity (PJJSS) had ended the insurgency over regional autonomy for the hill people.

However, sporadic unrest continued, mostly due to in-fights among different breakaway factions of tribal groups, including PCJSS and UPDF.

(Source: PTI)

India sees major drop in tourists from Bangladesh amid political turmoil

The recent unrest in Bangladesh has caused a significant drop in outbound travel.

The situation worsened about two weeks ago when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country in response to escalating student protests. This led to temporary flight disruptions and a suspension of all visas except those for medical reasons.

Although flights have now resumed, an official from a budget airline operating flights to Dhaka noted that the passenger load for these flights has decreased by over 50 per cent.

The political turmoil has led to almost 90% outbound travel from Bangladesh, an Economic Times report quoted officials from the Travel Operators Association of Bangladesh quoted as saying.

Md Taslim Amin Shovon, Director of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh, said that travel to India constitutes to be a significant segment of Bangladesh’s outbound travel market.

“India is a key destination for Bangladeshi travellers, who account for 40-45 per cent of outbound trips. The majority visit for medical treatment (over 80 per cent), with shopping (15 per cent) and leisure (5 per cent) as secondary reasons. Kolkata is a favoured shopping hub, particularly before festivals, while Sikkim, Northeast India, and Kashmir also attract visitors?” Shovan said, as quoted by the report.

Although tourist arrivals in India surged by 43.5 per cent in 2023, the figures are still 15.5 per cent below pre-pandemic levels. The country saw 9.23 million visitors last year, bringing in Rs 24,707 crore in foreign exchange. Among these tourists, those from Bangladesh constituted more than 22.5 per cent, representing the largest percentage from any single nationality, the report said.

Debjit Dutta, Chairman, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) West Bengal Chapter, noted that travel between Bangladesh and India has almost come to a halt since the onset of the recent crisis.

The report quoted him as saying, “The government has stopped issuing visas, and only those with genuine medical reasons are granted visas. Travel operators, hotels, and guest houses near hospitals in West Bengal have experienced a near 90 per cent drop in business.”

In 2023, medical tourism from Bangladesh to India experienced a significant increase of 48 per cent, with the number of patients rising to 449,570 from 304,067 the previous year.

The report quoted Samit Bez, Chief Executive and Founder of Kolkata-based medical tourism company Indiatreatments.com, as saying that his company previously managed around 150 Bangladeshi patients each month. However, he has observed a drastic decline, with the current number of patients falling to just five or 6 per month, as many appointments have been cancelled.

Tamil Nadu Travel Expo to debut in Madurai from Sept 20-22

Tamil Nadu’s tourism sector is gearing up for the inaugural Tamil Nadu Travel Expo (TTE), scheduled to take place from September 20 to 22, 2024, at the IDA Scudder Auditorium in Madurai. This landmark event aims to boost the state’s tourism profile and attract a larger number of visitors both from within India and neighboring countries.

The Tamil Nadu Travel Expo is being organized as a collaborative effort by the Travel Club, Madurai, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the South India Hotels and Restaurants Association (SIHRA), with strong support from the Department of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu, and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Designed as a buyer-seller meet, the TTE will welcome 250 prospective buyers, including tour operators, travel agents, and influencers from India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The event organizers will cover lodging and boarding expenses for these buyers, facilitating their exploration of Tamil Nadu’s rich travel and tourism offerings.

The expo will feature between 150 to 200 stakeholders and sellers representing Tamil Nadu’s diverse tourism sectors, including heritage tourism, medical and wellness tourism, and destination wedding planning. These participants will showcase the state’s unique experiences through themed stalls and table displays.

On September 22, the final day of the expo, the event will be open to the public, allowing local residents and visitors to experience Tamil Nadu’s varied tourism themes.

T Nataraajan, the Honorary Secretary of SIHRA, has been appointed as the Convenor of this pioneering event, which is poised to become a significant fixture in Tamil Nadu’s tourism calendar.

India VACs to remain closed in Bangladesh until further notice

All Indian visa application centres (VACs) in Bangladesh will remain closed until further notice.

The online portal to apply for Indian visa now has a message, “All IVACs will remain closed till further notice, due to the unstable situation. Next application date will be informed through SMS & It is requested to pick up the passport on the next working day.”
Unrest in Bangladesh recently forced Sheikh Hasina to resign as Prime Minister and flee the country.

This comes a day after New Delhi evacuated non-essential staff and their families from its High Commission and consulates in Bangladesh. Indian diplomats, however, remain in the country and the missions are functional, according to reports.

India has a high commission in Bangladesh capital Dhaka and consulates in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet.

Indian airlines resume daily flights to Dhaka from today

Air India will operate its scheduled flights from Delhi to Dhaka on Wednesday, according to sources.

Vistara and IndiGo will also operate their scheduled flights on Wednesday to Dhaka, which is witnessing a volatile situation amid protests.
On Tuesday, Air India operated its evening flight to Dhaka. It had cancelled the morning flight to the city.

Bangladesh has been witness to dramatic developments in the last couple of days. Sheikh Hasina, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 15 years, resigned as Prime Minister on Monday following massive protests that initially began as an agitation against a job quota scheme but weeks later morphed into a mass movement demanding her ouster from power.

Sources said Air India will operate its scheduled two daily flights from Delhi to Dhaka on Wednesday. The airline is also likely to operate a special flight to bring back people from Dhaka, they said.

Vistara and IndiGo will operate scheduled services to the Bangladesh capital from Wednesday, the sources said.

As per schedule, Vistara operates daily flights from Mumbai and three weekly services from Delhi to Dhaka.

Both Vistara and IndiGo had cancelled their Tuesday flights to the Bangladesh capital.

Normally, IndiGo operates one daily flight from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai to Dhaka, and two daily services to the Bangladesh capital from Kolkata.

On Tuesday evening, Air India said it will operate its evening flights AI237/238 on the Delhi-Dhaka-Delhi sector.

In a statement, the carrier also said that due to the prevailing situation there, a one-time waiver on rescheduling is being offered to passengers having confirmed bookings on any of its flights to and from Dhaka between August 4 and 7.

The offer will be applicable for tickets booked on or prior to August 5. (Source: PTI)