COX’S BAZAAR: Running along the waters of the Bay of Bengal, the coast of Cox’s Bazar is the favorite place for Bangladeshis to welcome the new year, as they enjoy sunsets on the world’s longest beach.

Located on the country’s southern edge, Cox’s Bazar has in recent years become synonymous with the largest refugee settlement, as it is hosting some 1 million Rohingya who fled persecution and deadly violence in Myanmar in 2017

Few outside Bangladesh know that the coastal district that lies 400 km south of the capital Dhaka is home to a 120-km uninterrupted stretch of sand.

Chains of green hills parallel to the beach and its warm shark-free waters are also a site of old Hindu temples and Buddhist viharas, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors, especially in late December.

Sultana Sharmin tries to take her family to Cox’s Bazar every winter, as she takes a year’s end break from her work at a bank in Dhaka and her children are on school holidays.

“Sitting here on the beach reenergizes me every time. It takes away all my tiredness of everyday city life. That’s why I visit this coast again and again,” Sharmin told Arab News.

To reach the coast from Dhaka takes about eight hours by road or train, or an hour by air — a trip not all Bangladeshis can afford.

“Most of the local tourists dream of visiting Cox’s Bazar at least once in a lifetime. People come here usually in winter, as the sea is calm and quiet during this period of the year,” Sharmin said.

“To me, the most beautiful thing about this beach is the sunset here. When the sun slowly disappears in the sea, it looks heavenly. Words can’t express my joy of seeing this sight.”

There are about 500 hotels and guesthouses in the city, with Cox’s Bazar Chamber of Commerce president Abu Morshed Chowdhury estimating that they have received some 100,000 local tourists in the past two days.

The number is set to grow over the weekend, as the peak season gains momentum.

But while Bangladeshis would always visit the coast between December and February, when the weather is pleasant and temperate, it has only in the past decade become popular during end-of-year holidays.

“Since 2008 or 2009, it has been a trend to gather in Cox’s Bazar to enjoy the holidays and welcome the New Year,” said Saifullah Sifat who has been working as a lifeguard on the Cox’s Bazar beach for the past 10 years.

“People start coming in huge numbers to Cox’s Bazar beach from the beginning of December as the winter school vacation starts. We are under much pressure during those days as it’s very tough to watch so many people at a time. My team remains extra vigilant to avoid accidents. But since it’s winter, the sea remains mostly calm.”

For visitors from Dhaka, trips to Cox’s Bazar are a chance to feast on fresh seafood and breathe clean air — both scarcities in their city that is one of the world’s most densely populated and most polluted.

“The air is very fresh and clean here,” said Abdus Sobhan, a businessman who arrived in Cox’s Bazar with his wife and three daughters.

“Another interesting thing about Cox’s Bazar is the seafood. Different types of sea fish are available in restaurants here. Among them, I like the pomfret most. It’s a bit costly but the freshness of the fish compensates the price. I don’t get sea fish this fresh in the capital.”

Sobhan likes to start his vacation days with a morning trip on Marine Drive, an 80-km road that runs along the Bay of Bengal from Cox’s Bazar city to Teknaf, the southernmost point in mainland Bangladesh.

“It is built beside the beach. All along the way, people can enjoy the vast view of the sea,” he said.

“Bangladesh has very small land and we don’t have many natural tourist sights. But we are blessed with the longest sand beach in the world.”