Guliakhali Sea Beach, a little-known sea beach located at Sitakundu upazila in Chattogram, has been decalred as a reserved area for tourism.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism announced 259.10 acres of land of the beach under Khas Land Account-1 protected for tourism.

A notification signed by Deputy Secretary of the ministry Shyamoli Nobi was issued in this regard on Monday as per the President’s order.

Development of tourism in the beach area is being hampered and affected because of unplanned establishments and other projects, says the notification.

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To stop the establishment of such structures and projects in the potential tourism area and to flourish the tourism sector of Bangladesh, the ministry has made the announcement under section 4 of the Bangladesh Tourism Reserved Area and Special Tourism Zone Act, 2010.

Locally known as Muradpur Sea Beach, this beach is located only five kilometers off Sitakundu Bazar. One can enjoy the beauty of a swamp forest as well as sea waves from this beautiful location.

Though no modern facilities are available yet, it has managed to pull thousands of tourists from various corners of the country by its natural unique attributes.

On December 23, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Kaikaus visited the Guliakhali Beach.

From one side of this eccentric beach, one can see the view of Kewra forest while the ocean on the other side. The beach, unlike any other in the country, is covered with green grass and thin canals that get filled with water during high tides.

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Already a mega plan has been taken for the beach and a proposal was sent to the authorities concerned to develop the roads, build hotels, motels and resorts in the area conducting a land survey, said Shahadat Hossain, Sitakundu Upazila Nirbahi Officer.

“Soon after receiving an approval, the potential tourism area will be turned into a popular destination of international standards,” he said.