St. Martin Island Reopens from Saturday: Adhere to 12 Mandatory Guidelines

After nine months of closure, the country's sole coral island, St. Martin, will reopen to tourists on Saturday (November 1). Up to 2,000 visitors per day will be allowed, but travelers must comply with 12 government directives to ensure a safe and eco-friendly experience.

Located in the Bay of Bengal, the 8 sq km island was shut to tourists since February 1. The new guidelines, effective from the reopening, permit daytime visits only in November, with overnight stays disallowed. Overnight permission will be granted in December and January, but the island will close again in February. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change issued the directives to preserve the island's fragile natural beauty, environment, and biodiversity.

The notification mandates that no vessels can operate to St. Martin without approval from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. Tourists must purchase tickets online via the Bangladesh Tourism Board's approved portal, where each ticket includes a travel pass and QR code. Tickets without QR codes will be considered counterfeit.

Visitor Limits and Timings:

• Maximum 2,000 tourists per day.
• November: Daytime visits only; no overnight stays.
• December & January: Overnight stays allowed.
• February: Complete closure for tourism.

To protect the ecosystem, lighting fires on beaches, making noise, or hosting barbecues at night is banned. Entry to mangroves, collecting or selling mangrove fruits, harming sea turtles, birds, corals, crabs, shells, or other biodiversity is strictly prohibited. Motorized vehicles like motorcycles or sea bikes are banned on beaches.

Single-use plastics like polythene bags, chips packets, plastic spoons/straws, mini soap/shampoo packs, and 500/1,000ml plastic bottles are discouraged. Tourists are advised to carry personal water flasks.

These measures aim to make St. Martin a model for responsible, eco-friendly tourism.

The guidelines were finalized at a meeting on Tuesday at the ministry, chaired by Adviser Syed Rizewan Hasan. Attendees included Secretary Dr. Farhina Ahmed, representatives from the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry, and officials from the e-ticketing implementation agency.