Kolkata: As Bangladeshi tourists dwindle, traders worry about sinking fortunes

The ongoing crisis in Bangladesh and subsequent non-arrival of travellers from there has dealt a blow to the traders of a significant stretch of central Kolkata, which is popular among tourists from the neighbouring country both for stays and for shopping.

A section of the beleaguered traders are now staring at a void in their accounts, while some are considering new avenues of trade or have decided to put in more effort into wooing Indian customers.

An estimated 15,000 families are now affected by the unrest across the border as well as tensions with the neighbouring nation.

According to one trader, in the past, local customers and tourists from other states in India used to visit these areas too. But they were more or less ignored by the traders as the custom from Bangladeshis was more lucrative, so the Indian footfalls gradually dwindled over the years.

"Now there is a big question mark. They don't know what to do… they don't know in which direction their business will go since they are dependent only on the Bangladeshis," Anil Punjabi, a national committee member of the Travel Agents Federation of India (East India), said.

He said the governments of both countries should hold a dialogue to resolve the situation as fast as possible.

With 80–85 per cent of Bangladeshis visiting Free School Street, Marquis Street, Sudder Street, Lindsay Street, Collin Lane and the adjoining areas for forex, airline tickets, hotels, restaurants and shopping, local business-owners in this neighbourhood became increasingly dependent on tourists from across the border, agreed Free School Street Traders Association secretary Hyder Ali Khan.

Edibles to be resold in Bangladesh in bulk, sarees and men's traditional garments, textiles and toiletries are some of the preferred goods.

"All of us are in trouble as a result of the crisis," Khan said, while condemning the ongoing atrocities against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh.

"I am 55 years old and grew up in this area. I have seen local people — both Hindus and Muslims — shopping before Durga Puja and Eid in the area since my childhood," Khan said.

Over time, the demographic has changed, though. With the focus on wooing Bangladeshi customers, Indian tourists and even locals have started eschewing this area as they felt they were not being extended as much of courtesy and were not being given the time of day, he suggested in an interview to PTI.

The attention that traders lavished on the foreign tourists has now paid a dangerous dividend. For if the ongoing situation in Bangladesh prevails for some more time, many people will lose their livelihoods. As losses mount, so does the risk of suicides, Khan went so far as to say.

"Both governments need to resolve the issue as soon as possible," Khan urged.

He also said that a meeting of local traders would be held on 9 December, Monday, to discuss the issue and brainstorm solutions.

The president of the Free School Street Traders Association, Monotosh Kumar Saha, said that he has been running a business in the area for the last 25 years. Now, he runs a transport service, a hotel business and a pub.

"We operate bus services from Petrapole border and bring Bangladeshi passengers to this area, which is very popular with them," Saha said.

On 6 December, a total of only 130 people came here whereas the figure used to vary between 5,000 and 7,000 per day, he said.

Businesses of this region cater to all the needs of Bangladeshi tourists whenever they come to Kolkata. Even those visiting other places in India do not go back without coming here, Saha claimed.

"But the businessmen and traders have learnt their lessons and are thinking of not depending fully on Bangladeshi tourists in future," Saha said. "Now the task ahead is to woo tourists from other states as well as local people so that they come here like the olden days."

"I have told my staff that I won't be able to run the bar and hotel after 31 December. If the situation does not improve in Bangladesh, I will have to terminate them," he said.

The attendance at the bar and occupancy at the hotel occupancy have come down to 50 per cent from being always full, he said.

"I have 28 rooms in my hotel and only four rooms were rented on Friday. The rooms used to be full before the Bangladesh trouble," Saha said.

Some of the people here have business dealings across the border and supplied goods to traders in Bangladesh on credit. They too are worried, as large sums of money are yet to be recovered from their partners there, said Punjabi. Here, grains and other food products as well as automobile parts and chemical exports are of significant value.

Some Bangladeshi buyers currently in India are uncertain of being able to resume normal business any time soon, and are being ultra-cautious about the quantities they trade in now — a season that typically sees hectic custom around 'Borodin', aka Christmas, the more dominant Hindu and Muslim populations on both sides of the border notwithstanding.

One business owner who runs a currency exchange outlet complained to the Telegraph of custom having dwindled from an average of $5,000 to $500 a day.

A traders' association meeting on Saturday, 7 December, also saw a consensus on calling on the government to clamp down on the tide of hateful posts on social media. At a time when relations between the neighbours are inflamed, such posts add fuel to the fire, the traders said at the meeting, reported the Telegraph in Kolkata, citing a note circulated by the association: 'A section of people in both countries are deliberately spreading inflammatory messages on social media. It is shameful and extremely worrying... We must ensure that the guests do not feel unwanted here.'

Still, given the political uncertainties, the business community now looks forward to another meeting of the stakeholders on Monday. Several of the traders also said they were looking forward to Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri’s Bangladesh visit later this week (9 December).

With PTI inputs