Laboni Beach: This is the main beach of Cox's Bazar and is considered the main beach due to the fact that it is closest to the town. Close to the beach, there are hundreds of small shops selling souvenirs and beach accessories to the tourists.
Himchari: Located about 18 km south of Cox’s Bazar along the sea beach, is a nice place for the picnic and film shooting. This picnic spot is famous for its waterfalls. The road to Himchari runs by the open sea on one side and hills on the other which makes the journey to Himchari very attractive. Its another attraction is the Christmas tree.
Enani Beach: Located 35 km south of Cox’s Bazar, this white sandy beach is located within Ukhia Thana.[20] This beach is famous for its golden sand and clean shark free water which is ideal for sea bathing. Most tourists prefer to come down here for relaxing because it is free from the crowd of tourists that is usually seen at the Laboni beach.
The greater Chittagong area including Cox's Bazar was under the rule of Arakan Kings from the early 9th century till its conquest by the Mughals in 1666 AD. When the Mughal Prince Shah Shuja was passing through the hilly terrain of the present day Cox’s Bazar on his way to Arakan, he was attracted to the scenic and captivating beauty of the place. He commanded his forces to camp there. His retinue of one thousand palanquins stopped there for some time. A place named Dulahazara, meaning "one thousand palanquins", still exists in the area. After the Mughals, the place came under the control of the Tipras and the Arakanese, followed by the Portuguese and then the British.
The main atraction of Cox's Bazar is the long sandy beach that stretches from the mouth of the Bakkhali river going all the way to Teknaf. Although commonly known as Cox's Bazar beach, it stretches far beyond the area designated as Cox's Bazar town.Cox's Bazar, arguably the best tourist spot in Bangladesh, is visited by a large number of tourist from Britain, America, Korea, Japan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and many more countries each year. Though there is no specific record in Bangladesh Porjatan Corporation (BPC) on how many people usually visit Cox's Bazar each year but an AFP report says that during the winter 10,000 available rooms in the beach area hotels usually remain occupied almost seven days a week.[19] Accommodation near the beach varies from an expensive range to a reasonable price. Many private hotels, BPC Motels and two Five Star hotels are located near the beach.
The major source of economy of Cox's Bazar district is tourism. Millions of foreign and Bangladeshi natives visit this coastal city every year. A number of hotels, guest houses, and motels have been built in the city and coastal region and the hospitality industry is a major employer in the area. A number of peoples are also involved in the fishing and collecting seafoods and sea products for their livelihood. Oysters, snails, searls and jewelry made from them are very popular to tourists in the seaside and city stores. A number of peoples are also involved in the transportation business for tourists. Many people of this district are farmers.
In 2002, a surfing club was initiated at Cox's Bazar by a local Bangladeshi. It has now extended to hold an annual competition including locals and foreign tourists. This is the first surfing initiative in Bangladesh's history.
After the end of British rule, Cox's Bazar remained part of East Pakistan. Captain Advocate Fazlul Karim, the first Chairman (after independence from the British) of Cox's Bazar municipality established the Tamarisk Forest along the beach to draw tourism to the town and also to protect the beach from tide. He also donated many of his father in law's (Akbar Ahmed Chowdhury, son of Fazlul Karim Kwik of Manikpur) and his own lands for establishing a Public Library and Town Hall. In 1971, the wharf was used as a naval port by the Pakistan Navy's gunboats. This and the nearby airstrip of the Pakistan Air Force were the scene of intense shelling by the Indian Navy during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
In 1984 Cox's Bazar was made a District.
Cox's Bazar District is a district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh. It is named after Cox's Bazar, which is one of the world's longest natural sea beaches (120 km) including mud flats. It is located 150 km south of Chittagong. Cox’s Bazar is also known by the name “Panowa”, the literal translation of which means “yellow flower”. Its other old name was “Palongkee”. The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Cox (died 1798), an army officer serving in British India. It is also one of the fishing ports of Bangladesh.
Often termed as the "World's longest beach", Cox's Bazar is yet to become a major tourist destination in Asia allegedly due to lack of publicity.
The history of Cox's Bazar begins in the Mughal period. On his way to Arakan, when the Mughal Prince Shah Shuja passed through the hilly terrain of the present day Cox’s Bazar, he was attracted to the scenic and captivating beauty of the region. He commanded his forces to camp there. A place named Dulahazara, meaning "one thousand palanquins", still exists in the area. After the Mughals, the place came under the control of the Tipras and the Arakanese, followed by the Portuguese and then the British. The name Cox's Bazar/Bazaar derived from the name of Captain James Cox of the East India, who was in charge of the naval base during 1800 AD, even though he died in 1798 as noted above in this very article. In 1854, Cox's Bazar was made a subdivisional headquarters.
