Dhaka : During the holiday season this winter, the hilly district of Rangamati is welcoming large crowds of domestic tourists especially on weekends. Thousands of tourists are flocking to the popular tourist destination boasting serene lakes and hills.

As per reports, in this current travel season, there is no space unoccupied at the tourist spots of the district that are briming with activity. This boom in domestic tourism has helped the domestic tourism sector recover from the devastating effects of the last countrywide mass unrest in July-August.

Sajek, another renowned tourist spot in the Baghaichhari upazila, is also teeming with travelers, as visitors get to touch the clouds in the popular site up in the hills.

According to reports, approximately 4,000 tourists visited Sajek in only two days from December 20 to 21 (Friday and Saturday). Even on other weekends of December, the site welcomed a significant number of domestic visitors.

During the weekend holidays, Rangamati has become an attractive hub for tourists, with groups arriving from all across the nation. Visitors are exploring key spots like Kaptai Lake, the Hanging Bridge, Polwell Park, Aranyak Resort, and Sajek.

Over the past few months, bans on tourist visits due to various political disruptions had severely impacted Rangamati's tourism business. The current influx of tourists has helped the region's sector recover promisingly, claimed reports.

On December 21, reports cited Mohammad Salauddin, Owner of Hotel Cosmos Inn in Rangamati, saying, "About 80 per cent of our rooms are booked for the weekend holidays, and we also have advanced bookings for the coming week."

On December 21 morning, nearly 100 small vehicles and 200 large vehicles left Khagrachhari for Sajek-which is currently welcoming a large number of travelers, reports cited a local driver saying.

Reports further cited Rahul Chakma, Organizational Secretary of Sajek Resort and Cottage Owners Association, saying, "Sajek is now full of tourists, with no empty spaces. On Friday (December 20) alone, nearly 4,000 tourists visited Sajek. Hence, many tourists even had to stay outside as the resorts were fully booked."

Even on December 21 morning, several tourists from all across the country arrived in Sajek, reported cited him saying. Most of the resorts were already booked until December 31, according to him.

As per reports, Alok Bikash Chakma, Manager of Rangamati Tourism Holiday Complex, said, "Over 6,000 tourists visited Rangamati during the two weekend days (December 20 and 21). 90 per cent of our motel rooms were booked till the end of December."