COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh - Tens of thousands of visitors flock each week to this local seaside resort, a gateway to the world's longest natural sea beach, named after a 19th century British colonial administrator.
In downtown Cox's, as it is known, large, squat concrete hotels sit alongside garishly-lit seafood restaurants and stores festooned with dried fish and gaudy souvenirs. From here, flat grey sand and straggling palm trees stretch for more than 120 km along the southeast coast of Bangladesh, facing the Bay of Bengal.
