St Martin’s Island to welcome tourists from Nov
Staff Reporter :
The government has decided to reopen St Martin’s Island for tourism, on a limited scale, for four months beginning November 1, Tourism Secretary Nasreen Jahan announced on Thursday.
Speaking at a press briefing on the occasion of World Tourism Day at the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, she said the decision was taken in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to ensure protection of the island’s fragile ecosystem.
“As the island is recognised as a UN heritage site, safeguarding its biodiversity, particularly the coral reefs, remains our top priority,” the secretary said.
Under the new plan, entry will be restricted to 2,000 tourists per day. In the first two months, only day trips will be permitted, while from January, visitors will be allowed to stay overnight. A digital system has been developed to regulate tourist flow, with integration into the shipping sector underway, she added.
Highlighting the benefits of last year’s restrictions, Nasreen Jahan noted that the pause in mass tourism had already resulted in visible coral regeneration, calling St Martin’s Island “a national treasure.”
She also said a new code of conduct had been introduced for visitors. “If tourists follow the guidelines-minimising plastic use and helping preserve the environment-we may consider extending access in future seasons,” she explained.
Tourism Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin clarified that this code of conduct would not apply to St Martin’s alone but would be enforced across all major tourist destinations in the country.
He further stressed that the government’s priority is to build a tourism industry that is safe, affordable, family-friendly, and particularly geared towards domestic travellers.
Addressing concerns about international visitors, he said visa formalities were not a major hurdle, but logistical and infrastructural challenges remained.
When asked about arrivals and earnings, Secretary Nasreen Jahan mentioned that while precise data is lacking, the Immigration Department recorded more than 600,000 foreign visitors in 2024, many of whom came for medical or religious purposes.
She also revealed that the government, in collaboration with the Tourism Board and the Bureau of Statistics, is developing a Tourism Data Satellite System to provide accurate, real-time statistics in the future.