News Desk : dhakamirror.com
Bangladesh’s only coral island, Saint Martin, has officially reopened to tourists today. However, not a single ship set sail for the island, as operators have paused their services due to a government ban on overnight stays.
According to the Sea Cruise Operators Owners Association of Bangladesh, the decision to suspend day-long trips was made because ship owners noticed that tourists weren’t interested in visiting the island without the option to stay overnight.
“It is not possible to operate ships at a loss,” said Hossain Islam Bahadur, the association’s general secretary.
“If the government allows overnight stays in November, we will resume operations within the month.”
Under the government’s new guidelines, a maximum of 2,000 tourists per day will be allowed to visit Saint Martin in November, but overnight stays will remain prohibited. In December and January, the same number of visitors will be permitted to stay overnight.
Tourists must follow 12 travel rules, covering waste disposal, environmental conduct, and movement restrictions to protect the island’s ecosystem, the government said.
Two vessels, Karnaphuli Express and Baro Aulia, were scheduled to operate from the BIWTA jetty at Nuniachhara in Cox’s Bazar today but later withdrew.
Bahadur said that with travel time taking seven to ten hours each way, it was “impossible” to complete a round trip in one day.
The coral-rich island had been closed to tourists since February 1 to protect its environment.
Authorities say ships must now depart from Cox’s Bazar. Due to legal restrictions, ships from Inani in Ukhiya are not permitted.
Md Shahidul Alam, additional deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar, said ship owners were free to decide whether to operate but stressed that the 12 guidelines would be strictly enforced.
“We are committed to protecting the island’s biodiversity,” he said.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has also launched a registration app for visitors, while ship operators will manage the necessary travel permissions.
Md Jamir Uddin, director of the Department of Environment in Cox’s Bazar, said extensive preparations have been made to ensure compliance with the new rules.
Many tourists expressed disappointment at the travel restrictions. Md Sadik Molla, a visitor from Gazipur, said he and six friends abandoned their trip plans after learning they would have to return the same day.
“Travelling eight to ten hours in a day and coming back the same evening is too exhausting,” he said.
Environmentalists have long warned that unregulated tourism, including illegal hotel construction, coral extraction, and waste dumping has severely damaged the island’s delicate coral ecosystem.
