The uncertainty surrounding travel to St. Martin's Island has finally been resolved. From November 1 to March 15, tourists will be able to travel to the island and stay overnight during the entire period. A previous inter-ministerial meeting decision in this regard was amended on October 27.
Sabrina Rahman, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, told 'Chitra Post', "The confusion regarding staying on St. Martin's Island in November and February-March has been corrected. Now tourists can stay on the island for the entire duration."
Earlier, an inter-ministerial meeting regarding tourist travel to St. Martin's was held at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on October 12. To implement the decision of that meeting, the Environment-2 branch of the ministry issued directives to the concerned ministries and departments on October 25, which initially upheld the instructions of a gazette notification issued on October 22, 2024.
According to that previous notification, tourists were only allowed to visit St. Martin's during the daytime in November and had to return on the same day, while overnight stays were restricted to December and January. This created a misconception that while the travel window was extended, last year's rules for overnight stays would remain unchanged, sparking widespread confusion among tourists, hotel and restaurant owners, and ship operators. Following a report published in 'Chitra Post' and subsequent discussions on social media, the authorities have now revised the decision.
According to the updated directives, tourist vessels will depart for St. Martin's from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) jetty at Nuniarchhara in Cox's Bazar town, just as before. A daily maximum limit for tourist arrivals to the island has also been put in place.
