News Desk

Central Kolkata’s New Market, also known as “Mini Bangla,” and other retail hubs are facing a major blow to business opportunities ahead of this year’s Eid-ul-Fitr festival due to an unexpected drop in Bangladeshi tourist arrivals.

More than 100 hotels and around 3,000 shops are spread across the two-square kilometre area in central Kolkata, which is mostly dependent on Bangladeshi tourists.

The consumer markets bustle with Bangladeshi tourists around this time every year. However, that familiar situation is missing this year, dealing a major blow to earnings and even leaving some shops struggling to pay rents. Some shops have already closed, as per media reports.

Residential hotels are also in crisis due to a lack of customers. Currency exchange centres, and transport services have been also been affected.

Shop owners in Kolkata’s New Market, Treasure Island, Simpark Mall and surrounding markets said that 50-55% of their business earnings depend on Bangladeshi buyers. In Ramadan, the Bangladeshi contributions in the earnings grow dramatically.

Hyder Ali Khan, general secretary of Free School Street Traders’ Association in Kolkata, told the Times of India: "The number of Bangladeshi tourists increases during Ramadan because they start their Eid shopping at the beginning of Ramadan. The pressure of shopping increases in the first week of Ramadan and continues until a few days before Eid. However, this time, Bangladeshi tourists have hardly come, which is a big blow to our business.”

Maqsood Ahmed, an apparel retailer at Shreeram Arcade, said, “Most of the Bangladeshi tourists now coming to Kolkata are mainly coming for medical treatment.”

Therefore, it can be concluded that since 5 August last year, the absence of Bangladeshi tourists has not only affected India’s tourism sector – the retailers have also been hit hard.