News Desk : dhakamirror.com
The government has decided that tourist access to Saint Martin’s Island will be suspended in February to protect the island’s fragile ecology and ensure environmental preservation.
Tourists will be allowed to visit the island from November to January, with overnight stays prohibited in November.
In December and January, tourists can stay overnight, but the daily limit will be capped at 2,000 visitors.
Chief adviser’s deputy press secretary Apurba Jahangir briefed reporters on the decision taken by the Council of Advisers on Tuesday.
Environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan later informed media that a regulatory system would be introduced to manage the flow of tourists during the peak months of December and January.
She said that a new system will soon be introduced to regulate visitor access to Saint Martin’s Island, following consultations with shippers and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority.
Inbound and domestic tour operator Mahbub Hossain Sumon said that tourists earlier could visit the island in six months each year, from October to March.
Environmentalists have long called for restrictions on visitor access to Saint Martin’s Island, advocating for a registration process to control the flow of tourists in the wake of damage of the corals and environmental disaster.
This demand was raised with the Awami League government that quit on August 5.
However, the proposed system has faced resistance from tour operators, delaying its implementation.
Deputy press secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, along with assistant press secretaries Nayem Ali and Shuchismita Tithi, were present at the briefing.
