Shut for months due to the restrictions imposed amid Covid-19 situation the tourist spots, hotels, restaurants, guesthouses have been reopened as the authorities lifted the restrictions from Thursday.
The sector during the shutdown, incurred a daily loss of minimum Tk 10 million (one crore), sources said.
Contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet M Kazi Emdadul Islam said, "The restriction has been withdrawn, but the health rules must be ensured. Social gatherings like wedding functions and others also can be held with 50 percent accommodation."
However, normal functioning on those is yet to return, industry sources said, ‘It would take a couple of weeks more. The hospitality sector people including traders and businesses are not hopeful of getting normalcy back in days.
President of the Sylhet Hotel Rest House Owners Association Sumayet Nuri Jewel told this correspondent that it would take some time to get back to the previous stage.
There are about 2,000 hotels, motels, restaurants, guesthouses, resorts, etc. with 40,000 staff members in the four districts of Sylhet division.
Amid the outbreak of the Covid-19, the hotels and restaurants were shut countrywide since March 19 last year, although the restrictions were eased on September 09, last year. These were reimposed on April 01 this year.
The sector had incurred huge losses due to the shutdown, said the SCCI president ATM Shoeb. However, many of them wouldn't be able immediately to resume things like the past, he said adding they need government incentives for returning to normal business.
