The government will reopen Saint Martin’s Island, the country’s only coral island located in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, to tourists on 1 November after nine months, allowing up to 2,000 visitors per day, with all required to comply with 12 government directives.
The eight-square-kilometer coral-rich island in the Bay of Bengal has been closed to tourists since 1 February. As before, tourists will be allowed to visit the island only for three months—from November through January.
According to the government circular, tourists will only be allowed day trips to the island and will not be permitted to stay overnight in November, while overnight stays will be allowed in December and January.
Among the 12 directives issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, one states that no vessel may travel to Saint Martin’s Island without approval from BIWTA and the ministry.
Tourists must purchase tickets online through the Bangladesh Tourism Board’s authorized web portal. Each ticket will include a travel pass and QR code—tickets without QR codes will be considered fake.
The travel schedule and tourist presence on the island will be strictly regulated this time. In February, tourist visits to the island will be completely suspended. On average, no more than 2,000 visitors will be allowed per day.
To protect the island’s natural environment, lighting or noise on the beach at night, as well as barbecue parties, have been banned.
Entering mangrove forests, collecting or trading keya (Pandanus tectorius) fruits, harming sea turtles, birds, corals, king crabs, shells, snails, or any other form of biodiversity is strictly prohibited.
The use of motorcycles, sea bikes, or any motorized vehicles on the beach is completely banned.
Carrying polythene bags is prohibited, and the use of single-use plastics such as chips packets, plastic spoons, straws, mini soap and shampoo packs, and plastic bottles of 500 and 1,000 ml is discouraged. Tourists are advised to bring their own water flasks.
Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Abdul Mannan told Prothom Alo that the district administration will strictly enforce all 12 government directives to protect the biodiversity of Saint Martin.
Previously, tourist ships operated from Teknaf, but for safety reasons, ships will now travel from Cox’s Bazar city across the Bay of Bengal to reach the island.
Hossain Islam, General Secretary of the Sea Cruise Operator Owners’ Association of Bangladesh, said that operating ships on the Cox’s Bazar–Saint Martin route requires BIWTA approval.
If approval is granted within a few days, ship operations can start in the first week of November.
He added that around 120,000 tourists visited Saint Martin during the three months of the last season.
According to the Department of Environment, tourists will be allowed to visit the island until January. From 1 February next year, tourist access will again be suspended for nine months.
Increase in shell and snail presence
The Department of Environment reports that the ecologically critical Saint Martin Island hosts 1,076 species of biodiversity, including corals, algae, turtles, shells, snails, marine fish, birds, mammals, and crabs.
In the past, unregulated construction, mass tourism, and pollution severely endangered the island.
However, during the last nine months without tourists, biodiversity has flourished, and the island’s environment has significantly improved.
Local residents and representatives said that during the tourist season, around 400 electric rickshaws and 200 motorcycles used to move along the beaches, killing many marine creatures, including shells and snails.
With tourism halted, shell and snail populations have grown, and coral and algae collection has stopped.
However, the lack of tourists has caused financial hardship for thousands of island residents who have no alternative livelihoods.
Ibrahim Khalil, Chief Executive of the Youth Environment Society (YES), Cox’s Bazar, said that the island’s environment and ecosystem improved greatly during the first nine months of restricted tourism.
Now, red crabs and shells are breeding across the beaches, and the reduced tourist crowd has created nesting grounds for mother sea turtles, he added.
A Tk 89 million project titled “Adaptation Project for Biodiversity and Climate Change Impacts on Saint Martin’s Island” is currently underway.
Project Director and Department of Environment official Kamrul Hasan said he observed expanding coral and algae growth during visits to Cheradia, Goldia, and Dairmatha.
He described snails and shells clinging to limestone and seaweed, and visible traces of shells on sandy dunes. Mangrove forests are rising tall, now inhabited by frogs, snakes, lizards, butterflies, and other creatures—species absent two years ago.
Investors fear losses
Owners of hotels, restaurants, and shops claim that the ban on overnight stays in November will cause financial losses to investors in the tourism sector.
Nur Mohammad, Vice President of the Saint Martin Shop Owners Association, said that two years ago, tourists stayed overnight for five months of the season, but now, with that opportunity gone, sales have dropped, and 60–70 shops are closed.
Shiblul Azam Qureshi, President of the Saint Martin Hotel and Resort Owners Association, said, “We welcome the government’s decision to protect the environment. But under the name of conservation, we cannot expect good tourism while forcing investors into ruin and endangering the livelihoods of island residents.”
He demanded that tourists be allowed to stay overnight for five months (October to February), as before.
Md. Zamir Uddin, Director of the Department of Environment, Chattogram Region, said several projects worth hundreds of crores are underway, including: solving the drinking water crisis, sterilisation program to control stray dogs, waste management, energy and power generation from waste, afforestation and biodiversity conservation, and construction of a new jetty.
He added that once these projects are completed by December, the problems of the islanders will be resolved.