President of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) Mohammed Rafiuzzaman has threatened a greater movement against any ‘negative decision’ on the Saint Martin’s island ahead of the tourism season. He said the government could work together with the stakeholders of the tourism sector to protect both the environment and the tourism industry considering the large contributions of tourism sector in the economy. Two-day ‘Bangladesh Remittance Fair’ to start on Oct 20 in NY The TOAB president said this while speaking at a press conference as the chief guest held at Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF) auditorium on Saturday. Saint Martin Poribesh and Parjatan Oikya Unnayan Jote organised the press conference in protest of the government's recent move to limit tourists and overnight stay on the island. “Tourists can travel to Saint Martin’s island from November to February in a year. The livelihood of thousands of people involved in the tourism sector in Coxs Bazar and Saint Martin would be hampered,” said Rafiuzzaman. He said  comprehensive policy should be formulated for the island, allowing tourism activities in accordance with the policy. Stock market: Downward trend for fourth consecutive day Saint Martin Poribesh and Parjatan Oikya Unnayan Jote placed a 19-point demand to protect the tourism industry and the livelihood of the residents of the island. There are 100 hotels and resorts in Saint Martin and around Tk1000 crore has been invested taking all types of permission from the government entities of Cox’s Bazar, they said adding that the sudden decision of discouraging tourism and night stay in Saint Martin will destroy the investment. Leaders of TOAB, Tour Operators Association of Cox's Bazar, Saint Martin Poribesh and Parjatan Oikya Unnayan Jote E-Tourism Association of Bangladesh (E-TAB), St. Martin Shop Owners Association, St. Martin Hotel Owners Association, among others. were present at the press conference.  

The local administration has suspended the movement of tourist ships on the Teknaf-Saint Martin’s route from February 10 until further notice due to unrest along the Myanmar border. Cox's Bazar Additional District Magistrate Yamin Hossain confirmed the matter on Wednesday (February 07, 2024) night. 64 more members of Myanmar security forces enter Bangladesh on Wednesday: BGB Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Adnan Chowdhury said all ships will be able to operate on the Teknaf-St Martin’s route til Friday (February 9). Although the movement of tourist ships from Teknaf will be closed, the movement of ships from Chattogram and Cox's Bazar will continue, he added. 327 Myanmar security forces taking shelter in Bangladesh: BGB Meanwhile, tension is increasing on the Naikhongchhari border in Bandarban as the violent bconflict in Myanmar has not stopped. Firing is still going on on the other side of the border. Locals are fleeing their homes in panic as gunfire has increased in the border areas of Ghumdhum and Tumbru over the last few days. In the last few days of conflict inside Myanmar, life on the other side has come to a standstill, and local residents are living in fear. What the BGB DG said during visit to Bangladesh-Myanmar border today After inspecting the border situation on February 6, Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Shah Mojahid Uddin urged locals to remain alert in the Ghumdhum border area of Naikhongchhari as well as to go to the shelter centres. BGB’s Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui also urged the border residents to go to safe shelters.

Political instability ahead of the national election appeared as a big blow to Bangladesh’s tourism sector as most popular tourist destinations including Cox's Bazar, St. Martin, and Kuakata see sharp drop in the number of visitors. With up to 90 percent of advance bookings canceled, the once-bustling establishments face unprecedented vacancies as people are reluctant to travel amid the countrywide ongoing blockades and hartals enforced by the BNP and some other like-minded opposition parties. Tourism industry insiders claimed they had to count losses worth Tk 1.5 thousand crore  in the last several weeks due to cancellation of advance bookings in hotels, motels, and resorts across tourist hotspots until mid-January. Women's participation in the tourism industry should be increased: Speakers Hotel and motel owners said prior to October, over 50-60 percent of rooms in more than 500 hotels and motels in Cox's Bazar were booked daily. However, recent weeks have witnessed a drastic decline in tourists, reducing the number from half a lakh to a mere 5-10 thousand. Most of the visitors are predominantly locals. Similar circumstances prevail in Kuakata and St. Martin. Hotel and motel owners expressed concern about the ripple effect on their employees, as business downturns force layoffs and hinder salary payments. President of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), Shiblul Azam Qureshi, laments the impact on tourist spots like Cox's Bazar, St. Martin, Rangamati, and Kuakata. “Now is a critical period for the tourism sector. Bookings for November, December, January, and February—the prime tourist months—have been canceled,” he said.   He said Cox's Bazar, Kuakata, Sundarbans, Sylhet, Ratargul, Jaflong-Tamabil, Rangamati, and Patenga Beach, which should be bustling with tourists at this time, now lie empty. Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal should promote mutual tourism: PM Hasina He also said he has a hotel at St. Martin but its 90% rooms are lying vacant now. “With the tourism season typically starting in October and reaching its peak in November, the ongoing political unrest has resulted in nearly empty hotels and motels this month, with bookings canceled due to the blockade,” he said. Salim Newaz, General Secretary of  Cox's Bazar Hotel Motel Guest House Owners' Association, said over 500 hotels and motels are empty now due to the continuous blockade progrmame. 230 BGB platoons deployed on day 2 of blockade Mukhim Khan, general secretary of the Kalatali Marine Drive Road Hotel-Motel Owners' Association, estimated a staggering Tk 1000 to 1500 crore losses due to the prolonged blockade. He urged the concerned to keep tourist vehicles out of the purview of  hartals and blockades to salvage the tourism sector. Similarly, Motaleb Sharif, General Secretary of the Kuakata Hotel-Motel Owners’ Association, said, safety concern has led to widespread booking cancellations, as people are reluctant to embark on risky journeys with their families amidst political instability. 48-hour blockade: Miscreants set fire to 3 buses in Natore

Panic gripped some 800 passengers of a Saint Martin Island-bound luxury cruise ship on Friday midnight after thick smoke filled areas of the vessel, prompting its operator to anchor mid-sea.  The decision to halt MV Bay-1 was, in fact, taken after its crew noticed smoke in the engine room -- possibly due to a flash fire -- around 12am, nearly two hours of the ship leaving the Patenga terminal in Chattogram for the island, a popular holiday destination. "The thick smoke from the engine room soon engulfed areas of the ship, triggering chaos on board. The operator was quick to switch off the engine," one of the stranded passengers told UNB over the phone. Also read: You can now travel to Saint Martin's "The ship remains anchored mid-sea off the coast of Kutubdia upazila. I heard a rescue ship is on its way," said Aminul Haque Babu, a human rights activist travelling on the ship. However, Sea Cruise Operator Owners’ Association of Bangladesh attributed the incident to excess engine oil leak. "The ship operator made the right decision to halt it," said Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of the Association. Also read:Teknaf to Saint Martin tourist ship service to run trial on November 16 "Former railways minister Mujibul Haque Mujib is on the ship," he added. Despite repeated attempts, the ship management could not be contacted.

Twenty-two Bangladeshi fishermen were detained and their four trawlers were seized Saturday by members of the Myanmar Navy from the Bay of Bengal. Saint Martin Union Parishad Chairman Nur Ahmed said Myanmar Navy seized four of the trawlers owned by residents  of the area with the 22 fishermen on board  around 10am Saturday, from the east side of the island when they were out in the sea fishing. Border Guard of Bangladesh and the Coast Guard have been informed about the incident, said the chairman. Read: IGP leaves for Turkey to attend Interpol general assembly According to local fishermen, those 22 fishermen went in the sea around Friday evening on trawlers owned by Nurul Amin, Md Azim, Md Hossain and Md Younus. Some members of Myanmar Navy crossed the maritime boundary on Saturday morning and took control of the trawlers at gunpoint, they said. Trawler owner Md Azim said his trawler was taken with six fishermen onboard, along with the other three trawlers. An official from the Coast Guard’s Saint Martin station said it is being investigated whether the detained fishermen were Bangladeshi citizens or members of the Rohingya community. Read: Fire at Gulshan high-rise brought under control Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer Parvez Chowdhury said BGB and Coast Guard will take actions in this regard after investigation.

Here's some good news for tourists. After a hiatus of over seven months, tourist ship operations have resumed on the popular Saint Martin's Island-Teknaf route in Cox's Bazar. On Tuesday, a ship belonging to KEARI Cruise & Dine with some 310 tourists on board left for Saint Martin's from Damdamai Teknaf point around 9am and reached its destination three-and-a-half hours later. Local people led by the chairman of Saint Martin's Union, Nur Ahmed, welcomed the tourists with flowers. Pervez Chowdhury, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Teknaf, said, “The local administration has given permission to KEARI Cruise & Dine authorities to operate on the Saint Martin's-Teknaf route on a trial basis.” Read: Tourist ships return to St Martin's island Already the local administration has carried out repairs on the Saint Martin's jetty aiming to ease the transportation of tourists, he said, adding that other vessels will also be allowed on the route gradually. People are happy with the resumption of tourist ship services on the popular route. Tabassum, a student of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), said, “I came here with my family after getting the news of the resumption of the tourist ship operations on the route. Now, we will all enjoy the beauty of nature on the island.” Besides, hotels on the island are leaving no stone unturned to make the stay of tourists a pleasant one. Shah Alam, manager of KEARI Cruise & Dine, said, “We have resumed our operations as per the directives of the local administration and we will also refrain from overloading and taking extra charges from passengers.” Every year, the local administration suspends the movement of tourist ships on the popular tourist route from March till September due to inclement weather. But this year, the local administration did not allow any ship on the Saint Martin’s-Teknaf route till November 15 due to the repair work at the island jetty, considering the safety of the tourists. The jetty sustained severe structural damage due to Cyclone Yaas that made landfall in Bangladesh and eastern India in May this year.

Saint Martin's Island is one of the most admired tourist places that get into the itinerary of travelers while planning long tours inside Bangladesh. This is the only coral island in the southernmost part of the mainland of Bangladesh, awake with the wonder of thousands of tourists. 9-km south of Teknaf in Cox's Bazar, at the estuary of the Naf River, this small island is proudly announcing its existence with an area of only 3 sq-km. The travel feature is created this time with details of this place of interest. Let’s have them. How Saint Martin's Island got its name Professor Mostafa Kamal Pasha and Professor Sheikh Bakhtiyar Uddin of the Department of Botany, University of Chittagong researched on Saint Martin's Island. According to Kamal Pasha, the island came to the notice of Arabian traders 250 years ago during trade with Southeast Asia. They then named the island 'Jazira' which means peninsula. Later the locals started calling it ‘Narical Gingira’ which means ‘Island of Coconuts’. The island was annexed by British-India during a land survey in 1900 during British rule. Professor Bakhtiyar Uddin claimed that the island was named after Martin, the then Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong. But according to the Bangladesh Tourism Corporation's website, Martin was a Christian saint. However, the name of this saint later became associated with the island. Read The Most Beautiful Tea Gardens in Bangladesh to visit Why you should visit Saint Martin's Island At first, flying and playing in the foamy sea of white Gangchils on the sea route from Teknaf to Saint Martin island will give you an intro to the upcoming endless joys. Although it consists of seven different neighborhoods, each of them is woven in a single thread-like pearl necklace. In the afternoon with a cup of tea, you can witness the best sunset of your life from the west coast of the island. There is no alternative to West Beach to dive into Saint Martin. Spend the morning on East Beach. East Beach takes on a magical look when the first rays of the sun catch your eyes by climbing the mountains of Myanmar. Chheradwip is formed by relying on corals in the southernmost part of the island. It is called Chheradip because it gets separated from the main island during the monsoon season. In addition to sea and sunbathing, Saint Martin is also a great place for scuba diving, snorkeling, and barbecue. If you don’t stay there for at least one day, you will have to come back with lots of regrets. Read Trip to Tanguar Haor, Sunamganj: Majestic aquatic beauty soaking the horizon

Movement of all tourist ships on Teknaf-Saint Martin's Island route has been suspended in the wake of fresh surge in Covid-19 cases. However, movement of other vessels carrying regular passengers and daily essentials will remain normal, subjected to maintaining health guidelines. Cox's Bazar district administration issued a directive in this regard on Thursday. Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh records highest-ever daily cases, 59 deaths Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Mamunur Rashid said that tourist ships usually operate till March 31 every year. This period was extended by 15 days but due to the corona situation tourist ships movement has been stopped from Thursday.   Amjad Hossain, coordinator of the Teknaf station of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport (BIWTA), said eight ships were approved to carry tourists on Teknaf-Saint Martin’s route from November 12 last year.   Also read: Bangladesh bans entry of passengers from Europe & 12 countries for two weeks But the service has been suspended due to the recent hike in coronavirus cases. Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Parvez Chowdhury said strict legal actions will be taken if this decision is disobeyed.