Over 500 tourist lodges operate sans licences in Cox’s Bazar 

More than 500 hotels, motels, resorts, cottages and restaurants in Cox’s Bazar district are operating without the required licences and regulatory approvals, exposing tourists to serious safety risks amid inadequate administrative oversight.

Along the Marine Drive from Cox’s Bazar towards Teknaf, a stretch of about 80 kilometres, more than 150 residential hotels and resorts have sprung up on both sides of the road. In addition, over 100 resorts and cottages have been established up to Patuartek in Inani, about 40 kilometres from Cox’s Bazar town, including the ill-fated TupTup Resto and Resort, where a recent inferno killed at least 10 tourists, raising fresh questions about tourist accommodation safety.

Although many of these establishments, built with wood and bamboo, appear attractive and environmentally friendly, most reportedly lack adequate security arrangements and firefighting facilities. Many do not have fire licences or environmental clearance, while the Cox’s Bazar Development Authority (CDA) has not approved the construction of numerous facilities.

Several establishments have also started businesses without obtaining the necessary approvals from the business and commerce section of the district administration.

The problem extends beyond Marine Drive. More than 500 hotels, motels, resorts, cottages and restaurants across the district are reportedly operating without the required regulatory approvals.

According to information from the Cox’s Bazar district administration, Fire Service and Civil Defence, the CDA, the Department of Environment and the Cox’s Bazar Hotel-Motel Owners Association, the district has more than 600 hotels, motels, resorts, cottages and restaurants. These are concentrated in Cox’s Bazar town, Pechar Dwip in Ramu, Inani in Ukhiya, Teknaf and surrounding areas.

Most tourism-related establishments have obtained only trade licences from the relevant municipalities or union parishads and continue to operate without securing other necessary permissions.

Abul Kashem, president of the Cox’s Bazar Hotel-Motel Owners Association, said almost all hotels listed with the association had the required approvals, but most resorts and cottages in the district lacked proper authorisation.

“They do not follow any rules and regulations. That is why we have not included them in our association,” he said.

Kashem, however, stressed the need to bring the establishments under a regulatory framework. The administration should ensure compliance with the rules while helping the tourism industry develop in an orderly manner, he added.

Fire licences missing or not renewed: Shafiqul Islam, an inspector at the licensing section of Cox’s Bazar Fire Service and Civil Defence, said only 50 hotels had renewed their fire licences this year, while applications had been submitted by around 100 establishments.

He said nearly 200 hotels had previously held fire licences, prompting the authorities to issue notices to many establishments over compliance.

“Due to a shortage of manpower, we cannot conduct regular drives. However, we send notices to owners asking them to obtain the required licences,” he said.

Islam said the situation could improve if the authorities responsible for issuing trade licences checked whether businesses had valid fire licences before allowing them to operate.

He added that fire safety arrangements at hotels and motels were discussed at various meetings, but ensuring safety across all establishments would remain difficult without greater awareness and cooperation from business owners.

Syed Mohammad Morshed Hossain, deputy assistant director of Cox’s Bazar Fire Service and Civil Defence, said hotels, motels and resorts had mushroomed across the district, but no agency had an accurate count of the establishments.

The fire service was trying to bring them under a safety framework in coordination with the district administration, he said.

Regarding the TupTup Resort incident, Hossain said the fire service had issued notices to the establishment twice, but its management had failed to take adequate precautions or install proper firefighting facilities.

He stressed that preventing such incidents required both effective enforcement of the law and greater awareness among business owners.

Environmental clearance largely absent: An investigation has also found that many hotels, motels, resorts, cottages and restaurants in Cox’s Bazar and surrounding areas lack adequate sewage management systems and environmental clearance.

Sources said tourism-related businesses in Cox’s Bazar may require approvals from 18 to 24 different authorities, depending on the nature and scale of their operations. However, many establishments have failed to obtain the necessary permissions.

Khandaker Mahmud Morshed, deputy director of the Department of Environment in Cox’s Bazar, said only around 50 hotels in the district had environmental clearance.

Over the past year, the department fined 58 hotels, motels, restaurants, resorts and cottages a total of nearly Tk 1.5 crore for various violations, including operating without the required environmental clearance, he said.

During the same period, 28 cases were filed against more than 100 hotels located in ecologically critical areas (ECAs).

Morshed said environmental clearance was generally not required for residential hotels with fewer than 20 rooms. Restaurants with investments below Tk 30 lakh were also exempt from the requirement, subject to applicable rules.

He alleged that some business operators were strategically using these exemptions to avoid regulatory requirements.

Meanwhile, district administration records show that more than 200 hotels, motels, resorts and cottages have applied for approval. Around 50 establishments have received authorisation after submitting all required documents, while the remaining applicants have been instructed to provide the necessary paperwork.

Questions over administrative oversight: The proliferation of unlicensed tourist establishments has prompted criticism from members of civil society, who have questioned why the authorities failed to act before a tragedy exposed the shortcomings.

Rashed Mohammad Ali, a representative of Cox’s Bazar civil society and a BNP leader, said the administration typically became active only after an accident occurred, forming investigation committees and taking temporary measures.

“What is the purpose of these committees and cells if they cannot even keep track of the establishments operating in Cox’s Bazar?” he said.

Rashed called for an investigation into the role of the administration, asking how so many establishments had continued doing business for years without the necessary approvals and fire licences.

Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Abdur Mannan acknowledged that many hotels, motels, resorts and cottages in the district lacked the required approvals. He said a committee comprising representatives of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, Department of Environment, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, CDA and district administration had been formed to examine the situation.

The widespread regulatory gaps have renewed concerns over tourist safety in one of Bangladesh’s most popular destinations, with questions mounting over whether effective monitoring and enforcement can prevent further tragedies.