To safeguard the biodiversity and ecosystem of Saint Martin's Island, Bangladesh's sole coral island, the Ministry of Environment, along with relevant authorities, has implemented several measures to manage unregulated tourism on the island.
Obtaining a travel pass from the Bangladesh Tourism Board's app has been made mandatory for travel on approved vessels, read a press release.
Tourists are instructed to deposit polythene and single-use plastics before boarding the ships. To discourage the use of polythene, eco-friendly jute bags are being distributed to the tourists.
Hotel stays of the tourists are being recorded in a register, and they (tourists) are being verbally informed about the rules and regulations to follow during their visit to Saint Martin's Island. Additionally, an instruction board has been placed at the Nuniachhara jetty to provide guidance to the visitors.
A committee has been formed to curb unregulated tourism, with the executive officers of Teknaf and Cox's Bazar Sadar upazilas serving as conveners. Furthermore, a 21-member monitoring cell is overseeing ship and tourism activities. From 30 November to 31 December, ten teams from the Department of Environment are monitoring the use of polythene and plastic on the ships.
On 2 December 2024, the second day of these initiatives, a total of 681 passengers, including 644 tourists and 37 locals, travelled to Saint Martin's Island aboard the Bar Auliya ship. A total of 704 travel passes were issued. Polythene bags were collected from the traveling tourists to reduce plastic use, and eco-friendly cloth bags were distributed for their convenience.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
