Tourists can visit St Martin’s from Nov, but it ‘really’ opens in Dec

• Saint Martin's reopens with strict limits
• Overnight stays banned throughout November
• Visitor cap set at 2,000 daily
• Locals fear short season hurts livelihoods

Saint Martin's, one of the most coveted tourist spots in the country, is set to reopen next week after months of closure. Tourists will once again be able to enjoy the serene beauty of Bangladesh's only coral island. But the news has brought little excitement for the host community, even though tourism remains one of their main sources of livelihood. For them, the season does not truly begin until December.

While the government will allow tourists to visit, no one will be permitted to stay overnight in November, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on October 22. The announcement came with 12 conditions, including a ban on single-use plastics.

Besides, the number of daily visitors has been capped at 2,000 this season as part of the government's new conservation plan for the island.

Ship operations have also come under stricter regulatory control. To operate any vessel to Saint Martin's, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) will require prior approval from the ministry. Tickets must be purchased through the Bangladesh Tourism Board's official web portal, which has yet to become operational. Each visitor must carry a travel pass and a QR code; tickets without QR codes will be considered invalid.

Full tourism operations, including overnight accommodation, will be allowed in December and January before the island is closed again in February.

By any standard, November doesn't offer much enthusiasm to resort operators. After all, few tourists are willing to travel for half a day just for a few hours of sightseeing.

"We're getting lots of phone calls from tourists asking if they can stay in November, but as it's not allowed, we can't take any bookings," said Taiyabul Ullah, who manages the family-run Mermaid Saint Martin Resort on the island's north beach. "It's not much of a season if people can't even stay."

"December-January is our main season. We will start preparing, including renovation and decoration works, from mid-November. Essentials like bed sheets and supplies will also be bought around that time. It'll be a waste if we prepare too early," he added.

For islanders who depend almost entirely on visitors, the November schedule effectively shrinks the tourism window to two months.

"Many families here live entirely off the tourism season," Ullah said. "If we only get business in December and January, that income doesn't stretch for the rest of the year. Life becomes very difficult."

During the peak months, around eight to ten cruise ships usually operate between Cox's Bazar and Saint Martin's Island. Two of them are run by the Karnaphuli Group, managed by Hossainul Islam Bahadur. But for now, he says, operations remain uncertain.

"We haven't yet made a final decision about November operations," Bahadur said. "If a ship leaves the BIWTA jetty in Cox's Bazar at 7:00am, it reaches the island at around 2:00pm. Our ships take about seven hours, but some others take nearly ten hours. A same-day round trip is almost impossible."

"Tourists are also not interested in such short trips; it's not practical. Moreover, the registration website for tourists hasn't been launched yet, so we're in a bit of uncertainty," he added. Bahadur hopes to resume full cruise services when the season truly kicks off in December and January.

Some cruise operators from Chattogram offer overnight packages on specific days, where tourists sleep onboard anchored ships near the island. But locals say those numbers are small and aren't nearly enough to sustain the hundreds of small resorts, restaurants, and shops.

Md Sohel, owner of Green Beach Resort on the island, said, "We don't expect many tourists to come in November. But we're fully preparing for December and January."

But there are things to fear even during the full season.

"Allowing only 2,000 overnight tourists per day will limit business for small, locally owned resorts like mine. Most visitors prefer staying in large resorts built by outside investors near the beach," he said.

"The island has accommodation capacity for about 8,000 to 10,000 people. Smaller resorts will likely have to offer discounts to attract guests, which might make it difficult to cover expenses," he added.

However, the government has time and again clarified its stance on protecting the natural habitat of the island. Environmentalists have long warned that uncontrolled tourism — especially unregulated hotel construction, waste dumping, and coral extraction — has caused serious damage to the island's delicate ecosystem.

Zamir Uddin, director of the Department of Environment in Cox's Bazar, said officials will strictly monitor tourism activities to ensure they follow ministry guidelines.

"The Ministry of Tourism is working on setting up the online registration process for visitors," he said. "All operations will be closely regulated to protect the island's ecosystem."

For now, the host community is waiting. As the first permitted boats prepare to sail in early November, most resort owners are keeping their doors shut, watching the waves roll in and the skies clear.