The government would reopen St Martins Island to tourists for four months starting from 1 November on a limited scale, tourism secretary Nasreen Jahan said on Thursday.
The reopening is being planned in coordination with the ministry of environment, forest and climate change to ensure environmental protection of the area, she said at a press conference marking the World Tourism Day at the ministry of civil aviation and tourism in Dhaka.
鈥楽t Martins is a UN heritage site and we must prioritise its safety and conservation especially its coral reefs,鈥� she added.
According to the plan, she said that only 2,000 tourists per day would be allowed on the island.
In the first two months, only day tours will be permitted and from January tourists will be allowed to stay overnight.
鈥楢 software has been developed to manage the flow of visitors and integration with the shipping industry is currently in progress,鈥� she added.
Highlighting the positive impacts of the restrictions enforced over the past year, the secretary said that St Martins was the national asset and people would see significant signs of coral regeneration.
She mentioned that a strict code of conduct has been introduced for tourists. 鈥業f visitors follow the rules, reduce plastic use, and help protect the natural environment, authorities may consider extending access in future seasons.
Tourism adviser Sk Bashir Uddin clarified that the new code of conduct was not limited to St Martins alone but would apply to all tourist destinations across Bangladesh.
He added that the government鈥檚 priority was to make tourism in the country family-friendly, affordable, safe, and enjoyable, with a particular focus on domestic travellers.
Regarding visa and security issues of foreign tourists, Bashir Uddin said that while visa processes were not a major concern issues such as logistics and infrastructure still pose challenges.
When asked about tourist numbers and revenue, secretary Nasreen Jahan said that although exact figures were unavailable, the immigration department reported over 600,000 foreign visitors came to Bangladesh in 2024 for a variety of reasons including medical and religious tourism.
鈥楾he government, in collaboration with the tourism board and the statistics bureau, is working to launch a tourism data satellite system to provide accurate and real-time data in future,鈥� she said.
