Kuakata beach draws thousands of tourists to bid farewell to 2022

Thousands of tourists from home and abroad have gathered at Kuakata Sea Beach in Patuakhali district – a panoramic sea beach on the southernmost tip of Bangladesh – to say goodbye to the last sunset of 2022 and welcome the first sunrise of 2023.

Hundreds of youths from different cultural and social organisations across the country have arranged different types of programmes at the beach to welcome the New Year. Some groups of foreigners have also arrived at the beach to celebrate the occasion.

Motaleb Hossain, secretary of the Kuakata Hotel-Motel Owners Association, said that around 50,000 tourists arrived in Kuakata on the last day of the year, which is two times higher than the capacity of the hotels, motels and resorts here. Good road communication without ferries has brought such numbers of tourists from Dhaka and other parts of the country.

Musalin, who works at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, came to the beach with his friends and colleagues to celebrate the New Year and also to enjoy the sunrise and sunset which is one of the major attractions in Kuakata for tourists.

Said Raju Ahamed, a private service holder from Faridpur, said, "I have come here as it is a great pleasure to see the last sunset of the year and welcome the first sunrise of the New Year."

People associated with the hotel and restaurant business said there will be an accommodation and food problem as the number of hotels and restaurants is not adequate compared to the influx of tourists.

Kuakata Hotel-Motel Owners Association Secretary Motaleb Hossain said the spot can accommodate 20,000 tourists at most whereas almost 50,000 arrived here on 31 December. So, most of the tourists may not get any room in hotels and motels.

Shopkeepers in the beach area have said all kinds of products and food sales have almost doubled.

Motaleb Hossain said each tourist would spend around Tk3,000 for food, transportation and accommodation. So, Tk100 corer would be transacted in 31 December and 1 January.