The tourist season has started since October. They are flocking to their preferred destinations at home and abroad. There is no good news yet about the tourist visa for India, the most preferred destination for Bangladeshis considering cost and convenience. The demand for package tours has increased as an alternative. The top countries include Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and Nepal.
Since August 5, as tourist visas for Bangladeshis in India have been closed, tourists are going to Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and other countries as an alternative. Many are taking affordable tours with packages to visit two or three countries at once.
Aviation sector officials say that a large portion of Bangladeshi tourists in South Asia used to travel to India throughout the year. Due to the closure of tourist visas, airlines’ flight rates have dropped by one-third. Although the number of passengers on flights to other neighboring countries has increased.
When asked, Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) Director (Media and Public Relations) Md. Yunus told Daily Industry, “As India’s tourist visa is closed, tourists are going to Maldives, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand as an alternative. Many people are going to two-three countries together in a package because they can easily get visas in these countries. Package tours are becoming popular day by day.”
No news about Indian tourist visas
According to the Indian Ministry of Tourism, the number of foreign tourists arriving in India from January to June was about 47.8 lakh. During this time, the top five countries in terms of tourist visits to India were Bangladesh (21.55 percent), the United States (17.56 percent), the United Kingdom (9.82 percent), Canada (4.5 percent) and Australia (4.32 percent).
According to TOAB sources, India was a major destination for Bangladeshi tourists, accounting for about 45 percent. Most of them travel for medical treatment (about 80 percent), shopping (15 percent) and leisure (5 percent). Kolkata is the first choice of tourists for shopping. This is followed by Sikkim, Goa, Kashmir, Darjeeling, Gujarat, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Northeast India. This number has decreased by more than 90 percent after August 5. There is no indication as to when the tourist visa will be introduced. Now only education and medical visas are being introduced to a limited extent.
Passenger pressure on Thailand-Maldives flights
According to TOAB sources, many tourists, unable to go to India, are going to Bangkok, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Kathmandu in Nepal with their families. Among these, the pressure of tourists on flights on the Bangkok, Maldives, Singapore, Nepal routes has increased to a large extent. Many are taking Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore packages.
Among the tourist-centric countries in South Asia from Bangladesh, Biman Bangladesh Airlines operates flights to Kathmandu, Bangkok, Malaysia, Singapore. US-Bangla Airlines flies to Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok, Maldives. In addition, Sri Lankan Airlines, Fit Air, Maldivian, Malaysian Airlines, Thai Airways, Batik Air and Air Asia operate flights to these destinations from Dhaka.
The return fare for economy class to Maldives on these airlines is around Tk 45 thousand to Tk 55 thousand, Kathmandu Tk 32 to Tk 35 thousand, Sri Lanka Tk 55,000 to Tk 60 thousand, Singapore Tk 50,000 to Tk 55 thousand, Malaysia Tk 40,000 to Tk 45 thousand, Bangkok Tk 30,000 to Tk 32 thousand.
In terms of distance, Nepal is the closest tourist-centric country to Bangladesh after India. Two airlines operate flights to the country from Dhaka. Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Nepal’s Himalaya Airlines.
US-Bangla Airlines General Manager-Public Relations Md. Kamrul Islam told Daily Industry that the number of flights on all routes to India has been reduced due to visa complications. The Chittagong-Kolkata flight is currently closed. However, many people who are unable to go to India are going to Bangkok and the Maldives with their families. The pressure of tourists on these two routes has increased to a large extent. In addition, many are also taking packages of Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore (three countries together).
Biman Bangladesh Airlines operates flights to Kathmandu in Nepal every day. According to Biman’s public relations department, more than 80 percent of passengers travel on Biman’s Kathmandu flights every day. Most of these passengers are tourists. The rest are going to various destinations in the Middle East via Kathmandu.
Most Flights on Dhaka-Kolkata-Delhi-Chennai closed
Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, India’s Air India and Indigo operate flights on various routes from Bangladesh to India. However, due to the low number of tourists, Novoair has suspended Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka flights. US-Bangla Airlines has also suspended flights on the Chittagong-Kolkata route. In addition, flights of Indian airlines have also decreased by one-third. Biman Bangladesh Airlines transports passengers from Dhaka to Kolkata, Chennai, and Delhi in India by air. But the company is not getting even 50 percent of passengers on this route on average. As a result, where there were 14 flights on Dhaka-Kolkata earlier, now there are only seven flights (one a day). Similarly, Biman used to operate one flight a day in Delhi earlier. Now there are four flights a week and three flights in Chennai instead of seven. In this situation, Biman is struggling to cover its operating costs.
Novoair used to operate seven flights a week on the Dhaka-Kolkata route using ATR 72-500 aircraft. But Novoair has temporarily stopped flights since September 16 due to lack of passengers.
US-Bangla Airlines used to operate 21 flights a week from Dhaka and Chittagong to Kolkata, India. Now the company has stopped 15 flights due to passenger shortage. Of these, all flights from Chittagong to Kolkata are closed. In addition, US-Bangla used to operate 11 flights a week on the Dhaka-Chennai route. Now it has been reduced to five.
Md. Kamrul Islam told Daily Industry that the number of passengers from Bangladesh to various destinations in India has decreased drastically. This is putting the airline business at risk. This deadlock must be resolved quickly.