Call to keep St Martin's open to tourists until Feb 28

The Saint Martin's Island Environment and Tourism Protection and Development Alliance, a platform of Saint Martin's-based tour operators and businessmen, has urged the Chief Adviser of interim government to keep travel and overnight stays on the island open to tourists until February 28.

The organisation made the appeal at a press conference on Thursday at the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) Auditorium in the capital.

In previous years, tourists were allowed on the island from October to March and officially barred from visiting the island for six months in a year.

However, in late October last year, the interim government decided to allow tourism for just three months in a year -- from November to January -- as part of efforts to protect the native biodiversity.

As part of their decision, the tourists will be allowed on Saint Martin's Island in November but they cannot stay overnight.

Overnight stays will be allowed in December and January but the number of tourists on the island must not exceed 2,000 per day.

The island will remain closed to tourists from February for the cleaning and conservation purposes.

However, Md Habibur Rahman, secretary of the Saint Martin's Island Environment and Tourism Protection and Development Alliance, during the briefing at the ERF auditorium, read a written statement pressing for keeping the island open to tourists in February also.

He said, "Normally tourists visit the Saint Martin's Island, one of the most popular tourist spots in the country, from October to March. However, the government issued a notification limiting tourists on the island this year."

"Although the island was opened to tourists last November, not a single tourist was able to visit there in the month as the ships couldn't obtain permission at the appropriate time for sailing," he further said.

"The residents of the island, who are fully dependent on tourism, are on the verge of becoming destitute. It is not possible for the residents of Saint Martin's to survive for 12 months with two months of income," he added.

Mr Rahman requested the government, especially the CA, to keep the island open to tourists till February 28 on humanitarian grounds.

Shiblul Azam Koreshi, president of the Saint Martin's Island Environment and Tourism Protection and Development Alliance, presided over the programme.

He said due to the government decision, thousands of people have already been unemployed.

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