Monthly tour profit rose from Tk20,000 to Tk35,000, then the pandemic cost him his office
A young operator who began in 2018 leased cottages in Sajek and St Martin's and grew monthly profit to Tk35,000; the pandemic forced him to give up his Khilgaon office, and he later returned to profit from a shared office.
The owner of a tour operating company in Dhaka started the business in 2018. In 2019 he leased a cottage in Sajek, later built three more cottages on St Martin's Island and bought 8 kathas of land. According to a Daily Star report, the company's monthly profit from organising tours was Tk 20,000 at first, rising to about Tk 35,000 in 2019. He then took an office in Khilgaon, Dhaka. But when disaster struck the tourism sector in the pandemic, he was forced to give up that office. In 2020, when the situation calmed somewhat, he shared an office with someone else in Paltan, and after September that year the company made a profit again. They have also built a houseboat on Tanguar Haor and organise tours within the country and abroad. By the time of the report he had invested Tk 15 lakh in the business; his next plan is a shop selling travel accessories. Income from a tour business depends on the season and circumstances — in a shock like the pandemic, fixed costs such as a rented office are the first to become a burden.
Lessons
- 1.Tourism can stop suddenly; keep fixed costs like office rent low and share space if needed.
- 2.Owning cottages or a houseboat raises margin per tour but locks up capital.
- 3.Track monthly profit and expand only once growth is clear.
We published this with the person's permission, without revealing who they are.
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