Dhaka, Oct. 2 -- This year's Durga Puja holiday has turned into a windfall for domestic tourism industry.

With an unusually long break on offer, families, friends, and office groups packed their bags and headed for beaches, forests, and hill tracts rather than looking abroad.

Travel agents say the rush has been helped by visa troubles and soaring airfares that made foreign trips less appealing.

At the same time, the timing could not have been better: the Sundarbans has just reopened after its seasonal closure, the haor wetlands are still brimming with water, and the autumn weather has been kind to travellers.

From Cox's Bazar to Sylhet, tourist spots are buzzing with life.

Extended public holidays around Durga Puja have given a signi...