With the Hindu festival of Durga Puja scheduled for 16–21 October, the FCDO on 9 October issued an advisory—re-confirmed as current on 11 October—highlighting crowd-management and security concerns in Bangladesh. Large public gatherings around temples in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet can strain local policing resources and have historically been flash-points for inter-communal tension. The update also flags severe monsoon-season flooding and landslides in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and low-lying districts such as Sylhet. British travellers are warned that energy shortages linked to global fuel-supply disruptions are compounding transport delays, with reports of ad-hoc fuel-rationing for inter-city buses. For UK businesses, Bangladesh remains a critical sourcing hub for textiles and back-office services. Mobility managers should review business-continuity plans for assignees, ensuring they have satellite-phone access in areas where cellular service can fail during floods. Employers should also verify that out-of-Dhaka site visits—common for factory audits—do not coincide with festival peak days when roadblocks and security checkpoints proliferate. Health-and-safety officers are advised to remind travellers that festival periods often see a spike in road-traffic accidents due to overcrowded ferries and long-distance coaches. Companies may consider temporary remote-work arrangements or shifting meetings online until after the festival ends. The FCDO stresses that British nationals should remain vigilant in crowded areas, monitor local media, and keep travel documents secure as bag-snatching rises during large public events.
Source: GOV.UK – FCDO Travel Advice
