The government is planning to introduce several changes to the rules governing tourists’ travel to and stays on Saint Martin’s Island in Cox’s Bazar. The duration of tourists’ visits and overnight stays may be revised.
The Ministry of Environment said the guidelines will be finalized by October 15 after discussions with various stakeholders, including residents of Saint Martin’s Island, environmentalists, and people involved in the tourism sector.
State Minister for Environment Sheikh Faridul Islam said, “We will formulate guidelines in a way that ensures the protection of Saint Martin’s Island while also safeguarding the livelihoods and means of living of the people there.”
Earlier, in October 2024, the then interim government had issued 12 directives regulating tourism on the island to protect its natural beauty, environment, ecosystem, and biodiversity.
Residents and elected representatives of the island said the restrictions had negatively affected the tourism business over the past year. At the same time, some residents had become involved in harmful activities such as cutting down trees and fishing indiscriminately to make a living.
For this reason, residents and business owners on the island quickly demanded that the current government withdraw the restrictions.
However, the government has said that some of the restrictions introduced during the interim government’s tenure may be retained if they are considered reasonable.
Saint Martin’s Island, the only coral-rich island in southern Bangladesh, is home to around 10,000 people. Because of its natural beauty, environment, and biodiversity, several thousand tourists used to visit the island every day from October to February in recent years.
Numerous hotels and resorts have been established on the island to accommodate tourists. M. A. Abdur Rahim Jihadi, president of the Saint Martin Hotel-Motel-Resort Owners’ Association, said there are around 150 residential hotels and resorts on the island, providing accommodation for at least 5,000 tourists.
Under the 12-point restrictions introduced during the interim government’s tenure, tourists were allowed to stay overnight during December and January, subject to a specified limit. In November, tourists were permitted to visit Saint Martin’s only during the daytime and were not allowed to stay overnight.
However, the current government does not consider this decision reasonable. As a result, preliminary discussions are underway about lifting the ban on overnight stays.
State Minister Sheikh Faridul Islam said, “A person who travels for six or seven hours to get there, stays for two hours, and then travels another six or seven hours back to Cox’s Bazar—that is an entirely unhealthy practice.”
He said, “I and our ministry’s minister, Abdul Awal Mintoo, have agreed on this matter. Active discussions are taking place, including discussions about changing the previous decision. If we allow people who make the long journey to stay overnight, that would be better.”
The association representing tour operators also supports changes to the previous restrictions on overnight stays.
Mohammad Rafiuzzaman, president of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh, said, “The restriction on overnight stays has severely discouraged tourists. When a tourist spends that much money to travel from Cox’s Bazar to Saint Martin’s, surely they would not make such a long journey just to stay for two hours. We want this decision to be changed.”
According to the 12-point directives introduced by the interim government, tourists were allowed to spend the night on Saint Martin’s during December and January. At the same time, a specific limit was imposed on the number of tourists allowed to stay overnight.
Currently, a maximum of 2,000 tourists per day are permitted to stay overnight. They are issued passes through a website.