DHAKA, Dec. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- The arrival of tourists at Bangladesh's southeastern three hill districts has dropped considerably during the current winter season in the wake of series of bomb blasts across the country, New Age reported Friday.

    With the advent of winter, thousands of home and overseas visitors start coming to Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban every year to enjoy the scenic beauty of the hilly region, acquaint themselves with the life style of the tribal people and pass some days in solitude far away from the din and bustle of daily life.

    According to New Age, the arrival of visitors was normal during the first two weeks of November this year. But their number started declining after the serial bomb blasts across the country and killing of people from the later part of last month.

    A good number of tourists have canceled their advance bookings at the Rangamati Parjatan Complex (local tourism company). The earnings of this complex averaged 100,000 taka (about 1,538 US dollars) every day round the year. But its daily earnings have fallen down to 10,000 taka (about 154 dollars) only during the last two weeks, according to Parjatan complex sources.

    The police administration in Rangamati has asked the hotel keepers to search the bodies and luggage of their boarders with metal detectors.

    The entrepreneurs associated with the hotel business and other tourism related activities are sure to suffer heavy losses this season if the law and order situation does not improve immediately.This in turn will have negative impacts on other sectors of the economy.

    Bangladesh has been hit by a wave of bomb attacks since Aug. 17country-wide bomb blasts, which kill three and injure at least 150 persons.

    The latest one was Thursday's suicide bomb attacks in northern Netrakona town, 160 km from the capital, and southwestern Mehedpur,leaving at least nine people killed and over 100 others injured.

    The suicide bombers on Nov. 29 carried out bomb attacks in Gazipur, 35 km north of the capital and southeastern Chittagong, leaving 13 people dead. The banned Islamic outfit Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh carried out another suicide attack on Dec. 1,killing a man and injuring 20 people. Enditem