The once-bustling Saint Martin’s Island — known as Bangladesh’s only coral island — now stands eerily quiet. The sound of crashing waves has replaced the cheerful noise of tourists; hotels and restaurants lie empty, and the jetties remain silent without the familiar whistle of ships.
Although authorities have granted permission for vessels to operate on the Cox’s Bazar–Saint Martin route, not a single tourist ship has sailed in the past week, bringing the island’s tourism and business activities to a halt.
Locals say that repeated restrictions in the name of environmental protection have crippled the once-thriving tourism season. Typically, October marks the start of visitor arrivals, but since last year, this flow has ceased. Despite the granting of travel permission in November, the island remains isolated, with no ships departing. Many families, struggling to survive, are being forced to leave their homes.
Jasim Uddin, a shop owner at the jetty area, shared his despair: “I had two shops and three employees. Now I can’t even pay rent, let alone salaries. I’m struggling to arrange daily meals — and the same story echoes across the island.”
Electric three-wheeler driver Md Rahim said, “I hardly earn Tk 200 a day now, while the battery charge alone costs Tk 500. Without tourists, there’s no one to drive for.”
The hotel and restaurant sector, once the island’s economic backbone, is now in severe decline. Abdul Malek, director of Sea Coral Beach Resort, said,
“Hotels are locked up, and staff have been sent home. With no clear directives from the authorities, we don’t know when ship operations will resume. Living in such uncertainty is unbearable.”
According to M.A. Rahim Jihadi, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Association, the government has allowed tourists to visit the island but not to stay overnight.
“As a result, no one is coming at all. With our main source of income gone, many families are now living in near starvation,” he said.
Local representatives estimate that about 80 percent of the island’s residents depend, directly or indirectly, on tourism. Without a regular flow of visitors, survival has become almost impossible.
Foyezul Islam, the acting chairman of Saint Martin Union Parishad, warned,
“People are leaving the island after losing their income. Fishermen are struggling too. If the situation doesn’t improve soon, a humanitarian crisis may emerge due to food shortages.”
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Collected
