Cox's Bazar, home to the world’s longest uninterrupted sea beach, saw a massive influx of tourists during the Eid holidays. From Eid day on June 7 to Friday, June 13, tourist spots including the Cox’s Bazar beach remained crowded with visitors.

However, no official or private authority can confirm the exact number of tourists visiting Cox's Bazar daily. Similarly, it is difficult to determine the precise volume of business generated in tourism-related sectors.

Based on room occupancy in more than 550 residential hotels, motels, and guesthouses in Cox’s Bazar, an estimated number of tourists can be inferred. According to estimates, around 400,000 tourists visited the district over the seven-day Eid holiday.

The Cox’s Bazar Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates that business in five key tourism-related sectors exceeded Tk 7 billion this Eid.

Abul Kashem Sikder, President of the Cox’s Bazar Residential Hotel, Motel, and Guesthouse Owners' Association, said that the number of tourists was relatively low on the first day of Eid but began to rise afterward. Based on residential hotel occupancy, the total number of tourists over seven days would exceed 400,000. From Friday, tourist numbers started to decline.

Abu Morshed Chowdhury Khoka, President of the Cox’s Bazar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that five key sectors can be considered part of the local tourism industry. These include the residential sector (hotels, motels, and guesthouses), restaurants and eateries, recreational activities at the beach such as kitkot rides, bikes, horses, photographers, and vendors, Burmese markets selling dried fish, handicrafts, and other products, and long-distance and local transport services. Both tourist numbers and business figures are estimated based on available data.

He added that surveys show each tourist spends, on average, more than Tk 10,000 across these five sectors during their stay in Cox’s Bazar. If 400,000 tourists visited during the holidays, the business generated would exceed Tk 4 billion.

He also proposed that the government collect residential hotel data online to determine the exact number of tourists visiting Cox’s Bazar.

Meanwhile, the Eid holidays brought a welcome boost to all tourism-related businesses, leaving traders pleased.

On-site visits found that the Laboni, Sugandha, and Kolatoli points of Cox’s Bazar beach were packed with tourists, many enjoying jet skiing, beach bikes, horseback rides, kitkot rides, and capturing memories with cameras. Tourists also engaged enthusiastically in shopping, purchasing Burmese goods, dried fish, seashells, pearl jewelry, pickles, and other items. This influx of shoppers kept beachside vendors, photographers, jet ski operators, beach bike drivers, and hawkers busy. More than 500 hotels, motels, guesthouses, cottages, and resorts remained fully booked, with staff working tirelessly to serve guests. Additionally, restaurants and eateries experienced a surge in business due to the influx of visitors.