Special correspondent
The businesses of the tourism sector of Saint Martin have demanded extending the existing tourists' travel and spending the night on the island until February.
They made this demand at a press conference organized by the 'Saint Martin's Island Environment and Tourism Protection-Development Alliance' at the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) auditorium in Paltan, Dhaka, on Thursday.
The press conference also said Saint Martin was opened for tourists last November. But then, tourists could not visit the island for various reasons, including complications with travel passes.
Although tourists have been able to visit the island since December, many are facing various obstacles with travel passes. The month of Ramadan will begin next March. February is the best time to travel before that. If tourists are stopped during this time, the islanders will face great losses, claimed in the press conference.
So, in the interest of businessmen, local people, workers, and daily wage earners, they demanded permission for Saint Martin Island visit would be opened for travel and overnight stays until February.
Chairman of the Saint Martin Island Environment and Tourism Protection Development Alliance, Shiblul Azam Qureshi, said, "Despite strong objections from students, local people, daily wage earners, fishermen, young entrepreneurs, tourism businessmen, transport businessmen, hotel and resort owners, the government has taken the suicidal decision to ban travel to Saint Martin and limit overnight stays and tourist travel."
As a result, thousands of people have already become unemployed. Residents are worried about their lives and livelihoods. There is a financial crisis and job shortage on the island in other seasons.
Habibur Rahman, General Secretary of the Saint Martin's Island Environment and Tourism Protection Alliance, said that tourists used to visit the island, one of the tourist destinations in Bangladesh, every year from October 1 to March 31.
But this year, the Ministry of Environment issued an order to limit tourism. The order said that tourists can go to St. Martin in November but cannot stay overnight. Two thousand tourists can go and stay overnight in December and January, and tourists cannot go to Saint Martin in February, he pointed out.
"But no tourists could go to St. Martin last November due to not getting permission to sail at the right time. Although ships were allowed to sail from December 1, a sufficient number of tourists could not go to St. Martin due to the fear of collecting travel passes. Due to this, the residents of St. Martin, who are 100 percent dependent on tourism, and the tourism businessmen are on the verge of disappearing, the residents of St. Martin can't live for 12 months with 2 months' income," he claimed.
St. Martin cruise ship owners, Atlantic Ship Managing Director Nazrul Islam, owner of Tilottama Eco Resort and local environmentalist Javed Rahman, representative of Carey Sindabad Ship Sarwar Hossain among others spoke in the press conference.
addition, leaders and relevant representatives of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), Tour Operators Association of Cox's Bazar, Tour Operators Association of Kuakata, St. Martin Hotel Owners Association, Tour Operators Association of St. Martin, E-Tourism Association of Bangladesh (E-TAB), St. Martin Shop Owners Association, Boat Owners Cooperative Association, Fishermen Owners Association, Bangladesh Sleeper AC Bus Owners Association, and ship owners' organization Sea-Cruise Operators Owners Association of Bangladesh (BHUAB) were present at the event.