Travel pass required to visit St Martin's Island, 12 directives must be followedSt Martin's Island will open to tourists on a limited scale for four months starting Nov 1 ahead of the tourist season after a nine-month closure. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), however, will not permit any vessel to operate to St Martin's without the approval of the environment ministry. This means that even if a ship leaves St Martin's by 5pm, it will be midnight by the time it reaches Cox's Bazar. The government issued 12 directives to preserve the environment, ecology, and biodiversity of this coral island. To protect biodiversity, the government declared a 590-hectare area of St Martin's an “ecologically critical zone” in 1999.

Source: bd News24 October 29, 2025 09:42 UTC