Issue 04 | Volume 5 | 2022

Title: The Socio-Economic Impacts of COVID-19 on the Tourism Industry of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh

Author(S): Khokaneswar Tripura*, Md. Ashikur Rahman Avi and Mohammed Mosaraf Hossain

Abstract: 

Though a substantial number of studies have been conducted regarding the impacts of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Bangladesh’s overall tourism and hospitality industry, no studies were found on the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), highland that hosts plenty of natural tourism treasures, and diversified indigenous culture, and attracts a significant portion of tourists from home and abroad. Hence, this study aims at exploring the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 outbreak on tourism and hospitality sector of the CHT. The study is qualitative in nature where the semi-structured (face-to-face in-depth interview) method is employed to collect the data from three hill districts (Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari) of CHT. The study identifies a number of social and economic impacts including loss of jobs and income, social dignity, impeded children education and family health care, addiction on electronic screens etc. of the stakeholders of tourism industry due to the outbreak. For mitigating the impacts and the quickest recovery, the study proposes some policy guidelines which are expected to help the policymakers such as the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), affiliated ministries, Hill District Councils (HDC), and other authoritative bodies of tourism and hospitality industry of CHT.

Keywords: Socio-economic impacts, COVID-19 pandemic, Chittagong Hill Tracts, tourism, Bangladesh

Corresponding Author Affiliation*: Rangamati Science and Technology University, Bangladesh1

Print ISSN: 2616-518X; Online ISSN: 2616-4701

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