The plan to require registration for visiting St Martin's Island was made during the Awami League government's tenure, Bangladesh Tourism Board CEO Abu Tahir Muhammad Zaber has said.
Speaking as the chief guest at a seminar organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism’s Bangladesh Tourism Board, Zaber addressed local tour operators and stakeholders at an upscale restaurant in Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar on Friday.
He said the plan, allowing 1,200 tourists per day to visit according to a schedule, had been formulated under the previous government, but was now being attributed to the current administration.
“St Martin's Island is a union parishad area with 250 hotels and resorts. Is this normal? Additionally, various state agencies have offices and lodging facilities there, including three buildings of the Department of Environment. At times, the island sees an influx of 10,000 to 15,000 tourists, leading to some inevitable issues.. it becomes impossible to maintain the environmental balance with such a large crowd.”
His comments came after media outlets reported on Thursday that registration would be required to visit St Martin's Island.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change later clarified that neither it nor the Department of Environment had made any decision requiring registration to visit St Martin's Island.
During a seminar in Cox's Bazar focused on banning single-use plastic on the island, stakeholders discussed environmental preservation.
While the topic of a registration system for visitors had been raised, no official decision had been made, the ministry said.
