Siliguri hotel businesses bear brunt of violence in Bangladesh, tourist footfall decreases

Siliguri (West Bengal) [India], December 5 : Amidst the violence in Bangladesh and the tensions with India over the attacks on minorities especially on Hindus, the economy is being adversely affected in Siliguri.
Siliguri is popularly known as a tourist destination and connects the Northeast states with mainland India. It is also a prime centre of education, medical and trade.
Siliguri has great strategic importance in West Bengal, with convenient access to three international borders- Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Many people from the neighbouring countries visit the place. The number of Bangladeshi nationals among the visitors are also significant.
But following the ongoing situation in Bangladesh, the number of Bangladeshi nationals who come to India mostly for the issuing of VISAs significantly plummeted, which impacted the hotel industry in Siliguri.
Most of the popular hotels running empty. Many Bangladeshis have cancelled the booking. The bus operators who run Siliguri-Dhaka regular bus services also incurring huge loss after they didn't get a single passenger in the last seven days. The industry appeals for Centre's intervention to restore the situation.
"Siliguri is very close to the border. It is a hub for education and medicine. Being a mountainous region, tourists flock to Siliguri, as it also connects with Darjeeling and similar areas," a hotel manager in Siliguri told ANI.
Bipin Kumar Gupta, a hotelier in Siliguri, told ANI that as neighbours, any issue that plagues Bangladesh, plagues India too. The educational and medical tourism in Siliguri is affected as Bangladeshis are cancelling their plans for India. It is severely affecting the hotel business.
"Bangladesh is a neighbouring country. So, the problems that will occur in the neighbourhood, the disturbance, or anything else, will directly affect your home. So, our Siliguri city seems to be more affected than Bangladesh. Because we can feel its pain and its experience directly. And it directly affects our business, our livelihood. Since August, the situation has deteriorated. I will not speak about governments, but the worsening political environment is affecting our business. Because the new visa is not being updated from there. New visa is not available to anyone. Older people are coming here with difficulty. So, it is a problem. About the educational visa, students are scared to come here. Although the situation in India is not like Bangladesh as we've seen in the TV. I have seen on TV that the situation is very bad for Hindus and minorities. Their situation is very bad. This should not happen. The government should take this seriously. Because it directly affects India. Especially on Siliguri and North Bengal. This time, the effect of political environment was seen directly on the hotel business. The peak season also felt the dearth of visitors. Bangladeshi tourists either came for shopping, education in Darjeeling, Siliguri or Kamlimpong, or just for sightseeing. Several group tourists, who booked rooms in hotels six months in advance have also cancelled their plans. All the kin of Bangladeshi citizens who stay in India are despondent because of the conditions of minorities there. I request the government to take steps to protect the minorities there," he said.
Bikash Das, a hotel manager in Siliguri told ANI that they all wanted the relations between both the countries to go back to normal.
"We want the relations between both the countries to go back to normal, so that guests arrive from Bangladesh here like before," he said.
Shiv Prasad Ghosh, Indo-Bangladesh bus operator told ANI that earlier, the bus would be full of tourists from Dhaka. But, this time, we did not get even a single passenger.
"I work in the transport department. We ply from Siliguri to Dhaka in Bangladesh. We are not able to work now. If they do not provide Visas, how will the people come here? The buses are not working now, causing losses. We want that both the countries should work together to solve this problem. If they return to talks and diplomacy, it will be good for everyone. So, we want that both the countries should work together," he said.