For the second year in a row, the bustling commercial hubs in central Kolkata, often referred to as 'Mini Bangladesh', are facing a severe downturn in business. Traders and hoteliers, who depend heavily on visitors from across the border, are entering the new year with cautious optimism after a disappointing peak season marked by widespread cancellations.
Peak Season Despair: Cancellations Replace the Festive Buzz
The usually vibrant stretches of Marquis Street, Free School Street, Collin Street, and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road witnessed a lean December-January period. This area is renowned for its deep cultural and commercial ties with Bangladeshi visitors. Many businesses had banked on a gradual recovery, especially after a slight uptick in October driven by an increase in visitors travelling on medical visas.
However, that flicker of hope was quickly extinguished. Renewed political uncertainty in Bangladesh led numerous travellers to postpone or cancel their plans entirely. According to Harmit Singh, president of the Central Kolkata Hotel Owners' Association, the situation turned grim as tourists scheduled for early January started cancelling bookings.
"Two or three years ago, winter and the New Year period meant a deluge of tourists. Hotels would be running full, and advance bookings would be hard to come by," Singh recalled. He added that several hotels reliant on Bangladeshi guests are now operating at only a fraction of their usual capacity this season.
Trickle-Down Effect: Small Traders Bear the Brunt
The tourism slump has had a cascading effect on the local economy, severely impacting small traders and shopkeepers. Abdul Rahman, a garments trader on Marquis Street, noted that even the cautious medical visa travellers, who had been a steady stream, began cutting their trips short as the situation deteriorated in December.
Hyder Ali Khan, secretary of the Free School Street Traders' Association, highlighted the planning nightmare this uncertainty creates. "December and January usually help us recover losses from the lean months. But this year, there are very few tourists," Khan said. He described a scene where shops are open and staff are present, but the essential buzz and footfall are conspicuously missing.
Employees across hotels and retail outlets echo these concerns, pointing to semi-empty restaurants and stores during what is traditionally their busiest and most profitable time of the year.
A Glimmer of Hope Amidst the Setbacks
Despite the consecutive setbacks, the business community in 'Mini Bangladesh' is not ready to give up. There is a prevailing belief that if the political situation stabilises in Bangladesh in the coming months, tourists will return. This anticipated revival is seen as the only source of much-needed relief for the area's battered economy.
The traders and hoteliers are now looking ahead, clinging to the hope that the new year will eventually bring back the vibrant cross-border exchanges that define their livelihoods and the character of their neighbourhood.
