Hotel and resort bookings in the hill district of Bandarban have reached only about 50 percent amid the Eid-ul-Adha holiday period, well below the near-sellout levels recorded a year ago, according to owners and businesses. The sluggish pace came even as the district administration waived entry fees to four popular tourist spots for two days to draw visitors.

The free-entry offer applies on May 28 and 29 at Prantik Lake, Meghla, Nilachal and Chimbuk, all prominent attractions in the region. Industry representatives welcomed the move but said it had not been enough to offset weak demand caused by adverse weather and a broader economic slowdown.

Ranglai Mro, headman of Renikhyong mouza and a co-owner of Sairu Resort on Chimbuk hill, told Bonik Barta that the property had no significant bookings through May 28. Occupancy would be full from May 29 to June 5, he said.

Md Zakir, proprietor of Meghla Holiday Inn Resort, said bookings this year were less than half of what they were during the same holiday a year earlier, when the resort was fully booked and had to turn away visitors. He, however, added that his property was fully reserved for May 29 to 31.

Md Jasim Uddin, general secretary of the Bandarban District Hotel Resort Owners’ Association, said all hotels and resorts had prepared extensively but bookings and arrival signals were “not as expected”. Overall occupancy stood at around 50 percent, he said, with establishments offering average discounts of 10 to 20 per cent.

Uddin said tourists complained not about hotel and resort pricing but about excessive vehicle fares, blaming drivers who ignored the decisions of their own association.

District Administrator Md Saniul Ferdous said both hotel and vehicle associations had given assurances that rates would be kept reasonable. “Initially we want to trust the businesses’ decisions, not enforce the law. But if there’s any deviation, legal action will be taken,” he told Bonik Barta.