‘Overtourism’ in Cox’s Bazar: Strategies beyond perceptions
Author : Afifat Khanam Ritika
22 Mar 2023

I was really shocked when I first noticed the statistics revealed in a report of the Business Standard titled "Cox's Bazar: An idyll losing itself to unplanned urbanization" on 20 September 2021. Cox's Bazar, a district located in south-eastern Bangladesh, receives approximately one crore tourists annually. The area is also home to approximately 2 lakh residents and nearly 1 thousand local and foreign aid officials who work at the Rohingya refugee camps. According to industry insiders, the district town has seen a proliferation of at least 520 hotels, motels, guest houses, and cottages. With over 20,000 rooms available to house more than 120,000 guests daily, the annual resident capacity at the present developmental condition in Cox's Bazar is almost four crore tourists.