A hundred crore lost in 15 election days, with hotel bookings under 10 per cent

Cox's Bazar was left almost empty of tourists in February 2026 around the thirteenth parliamentary election: people stayed in their home areas to vote, and from 11 to 13 February auto-rickshaws, taxis, pickups, microbuses and trucks were barred from the roads until midnight. These figures are not one tour operator's books; they come from the president of the tour operators' owners association, the hotel and guest house owners association, and several named small traders along the beach. The association president said that while star hotels held 10-15 per cent occupancy, most of those guests were foreign nationals and domestic tourists had all but vanished, and that silence had fallen over the tourism zone before the season was even over. Most hotels dropped below 10 per cent occupancy, even 14 February - normally the busiest day of the year - brought no crowds, and the hotel owners put the 15-day loss at a hundred crore taka. The small traders on the beach took the same blow: a pickle seller whose day used to bring 1,000-1,500 taka was not reaching 400, a chotpoti seller who took 2,000-3,000 was no longer covering his own costs, and a shell trader kept his stall shut and stayed home.