Photo : collected

COX'S BAZAR, Dec 1, 2025 (BSS) - The tourist season to Saint Martin Island formally began today with three passenger vessels carrying 1,174 holidaymakers from Cox's Bazar to the country's only coral island.

Officials said the vessels left the Nuniachhara BIWTA jetty in phases between 7:00am and 8:00am and are expected to reach the island between 12:30pm and 1:00pm.

On the opening day, however, the vessel named Keari Sindabad was fined Taka 50,000 on charge of selling tickets without the mandatory online registration.

Authorities confirmed that from today tourists will be allowed to stay overnight on the island till January 31, though the daily cap of 2,000 visitors will remain in force.

Hossain Islam Bahadur, General Secretary of the Sea Cruise Operator Owners Association of Bangladesh, told reporters that 1,174 tourists travelled this morning on the three vessels operating the Saint Martin route.

Tourists began boarding the ships from 6:00am. Representatives from the district administration, Department of Environment, Tourist Police, BIWTA and other concerned government offices were present at the jetty to ensure full compliance with the government's 12-point directive for operating tourism on the island.

To discourage the use of single-use plastic on Saint Martin Island, the Department of Environment (DoE) distributed aluminium water bottles free of cost to every tourist before boarding.

Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Neelufa Yasmin Chowdhury, who is also the convener of the monitoring committee formed by the district administration, said strict surveillance is being enforced to ensure that no more than the government-fixed daily limit of 2,000 tourists can travel to the island. 

Deputy Director of the DoE Cox's Bazar office Khandaker Mahmud Pasha said aluminium water bottles were handed out to all tourists at the Nuniachhara BIWTA jetty to discourage the use of one-time plastic.

Vessels will leave Cox's Bazar at 7:00am and return from the island at 3:00pm the following day. The service will continue until January 31.

In 1999, Saint Martin Island was declared an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA). On January 4, 2023, the Ministry of Environment declared 1,743 square kilometres of the Bay of Bengal adjacent to the island a marine protected area.