Record Tourist Crowds in Sylhet During Puja Holidays: 850 Boats a Day at Ratargul, 2,000 Trips at Sadapathar, Hotels Full

Sylhet's tourist spots have come alive with visitors during the long break combining the Durga Puja and weekly holidays. Drawn by green hills, tea gardens, clear waterfalls and white stones, tourists have flocked to Sylhet from across the country. Those involved say visitors set a record at Ratargul this year, with locals saying they had never seen so many tourists there before.

At the Ratargul swamp forest in Gowainghat upazila, tourist numbers surpassed all previous records this time, according to people concerned. They say even the Eid holidays did not bring this many tourists.

Al-Amin, who is in charge of one of Ratargul's boat ghats, said 341 boats left from his ghat last Wednesday. Together with the other two ghats, around 800 to 850 boats operated every day. Thursday saw a similar crowd, though numbers eased somewhat on Friday.

Heavy crowds were also seen at Sadapathar in Bholaganj, Jaflong, Bichnakandi, Utmachhara and Lalakhal. Tea gardens on the city outskirts were packed too, and tourists struggled to find empty space even to take photographs.

Liton Mia, owner of Hotel Al Bela at the Sadapathar ghat, said he had never seen so many tourists outside the Eid holidays. Tourist arrivals had been rising since last week, and business was good this time, he said.

Moin Uddin, former general secretary of the boat owners' association at Sadapathar ghat, said about 2,000 boats carried tourists from the ghat last Wednesday. The number was about 1,700 on Thursday and around 1,500 boats operated on Friday. Although the ghat has about 200 boats, each made 10 to 12 trips a day.

Against this huge presence of tourists, a shortage of accommodation and travel hardship added to their suffering. Advance bookings left hotels and motels in Sylhet city and nearby areas short of rooms. Many last-minute arrivals found no rooms in hotels around Zindabazar, Ambarkhana and Dargah Gate.

Some were forced to spend the night in the shrine premises of Hazrat Shahjalal (Rh) and Hazrat Shahporan (Rh). Mamun Ahmed, a tourist from Cumilla staying at the Shahjalal shrine, said he found no hotel room anywhere in the city and had to spend the night in the shrine's open yard, though finding a place to sit gave him some relief.

Tourists also suffered on the journey. Many complained that repair work on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway and the poor state of some connecting roads turned a six-hour trip into 10 to 12 hours. Unavailable train tickets and high air fares added to the hardship.

Fala Uddin Ali Ahmed, owner of Hotel Star Pacific in the Dargah Gate area, said ordinary and middle-class tourists cannot come to Sylhet because of the poor transport system. About 60 to 65 percent of his hotel's guests are now corporate clients, and security concerns are also affecting tourism, he believes. People concerned say the poor transport conditions are why middle-class tourist presence was comparatively lower.

Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry administrator Ejaz Ahmed Chowdhury, however, said business was good this Puja and security arrangements were also good. Tourists could move around Sylhet without trouble, and no complaints were received, he said.

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun said tourist presence towards the end of the Puja holidays was higher than expected. Officials concerned, vigilance teams and police were active in the field to ensure security, and surveillance was increased at tourist centres. Visiting the Shahjalal shrine the previous night, he saw a huge presence of people.

Tourist centres in Gowainghat upazila were equally lively. Travellers rushed to Jaflong, Bichnakandi, Ratargul and other scenic spots of the upazila to enjoy the hills, rivers, waterfalls and green nature. The crowds are expected to thin as the holidays end, but this year's record turnout has raised fresh hope among Sylhet's tourism businesses.