Cox’s Bazar beach is not only Bangladesh’s premier tourism asset; it is also central to the country’s global identity. Yet years of uncontrolled tourism, plastic and other waste, poor management, and unplanned shops around the beach have placed pressure on its beauty and environment.
Recent cleanliness and awareness drives at Sugandha and Kolatoli have brought the issue into focus. Cox’s Bazar-3 MP Lutfur Rahman Kajal’s participation in the drive and his call to restore the beach are welcome steps. His emphasis on rehabilitating evicted hawkers and small traders is equally important. Protecting the beach cannot mean ignoring the livelihoods of people who depend on it.
But experience shows that clean-up drives or eviction campaigns alone cannot deliver a lasting solution. Shops have repeatedly returned to the same areas after earlier evictions, exposing the weakness of temporary measures. What is needed now is a long-term management framework.
First, the beach needs a modern waste-management system. Adequate, bins should be placed at appropriate intervals, with regular collection and round-the-clock cleaning. Plastic waste should also be separately collected for recycling.
Second, effective monitoring and spot fines are needed to discourage littering. This responsibility should extend beyond tourists to hotels, restaurants and businesses around the beach.
Third, a transparent rehabilitation policy for hawkers and small traders should be introduced without delay. Genuine traders can be identified and accommodated in designated areas through planned kiosks or booths that protect the beach’s natural appearance and public access. This would protect livelihoods while reducing disorder.
Most importantly, beach management must move beyond individuals and temporary campaigns and become an institutional responsibility. The administration, municipality, tourism authorities, businesses, local communities and tourists all have a role, with clear responsibilities and accountability.
The recent initiatives are therefore a useful starting point. What matters now is turning that momentum into institutional implementation. The goal should not be a cleaner beach, but Cox’s Bazar as a well-managed, environmentally responsible international tourism destination. Cleanliness, order, environmental protection and humane rehabilitation must be treated as parts of the same system. If sustained, this transition can help Cox’s Bazar address a long-standing challenge and establish a practical model for other tourism destinations across Bangladesh.
By Salam Abu
Editor
