The president of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) Mohammad Rafeuzzaman has warned that they will go on a greater movement to save the industries if stop tourists visiting and staying overnight in Saint Martin island.
He said this at a press conference organized by the St. Martin’s Island Environment and Tourism Protection and Development Alliance (SIETPDA) in the auditorium of the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) in the capital on Sunday.
Local leaders of St. Martin’s including SIETPDA Chairman Shiblul Azam Qureshi, HR Group Chairman and Alliance Publicity Secretary Habibur Rahman and E-Tourism Association of Bangladesh (E-TAB) President Imranul Alam, among others spoke at the press conference.
TOAB President Rafeuzzaman said, “Despite our strong objections, the government has decided to limit overnight stays and tourist travel in St. Martin. According to the government, no tourist can spend the night in St Martin in November. In December and January, just 2,000 tourists can travel to St. Martin and spend the night.”
And in February, the government will stop tourist travel to St. Martin. The tourism industry will be greatly affected and the sector entrepreneurs will be destroyed following stoping such seasonal business, he pointed out.
The press conference noted that about 10,000 people live in Saint Martin. All of them depend on tourism. All of them will be out of a job if tourism is restricted or stopped in St. Martin. Along with that, financial investment of entrepreneurs will be at serious risk. As a result, he protested such a decision of the government and demanded immediate withdrawal of this decision.
Shiblul Azam Qureshi demanded in the press conference, to maintain the balance of the environment in St. Martin’s island, to strictly stop the use of single-use plastics and to continue tourism without any restrictions, including overnight stays, and to create an alternative route to travel from Teknaf to St. Martin.
“We want to protect the environment and biodiversity of St. Martin, but not by stopping tourism. Instead, it takes all the necessary steps in favor of the environment,” he added.
He also demanded that tourism development should be ensured by dealing with the adverse effects of tourism and preserving the environment of the island. A water treatment plant is to be set up on the island to turn the salt water into fresh water. Decomposable waste should be converted into biogas through treatment.
The use of generators should be stopped on the island and environment-friendly solar plants should be installed and permanent structures should be controlled using bricks, sand, cement and rods, he pointed out.
Leaders of TOAB, Tour Operators Association of Cox’s Bazar, St. Martin’s Island Environment and Tourism Protection and Development Alliance, E-Tourism Association of Bangladesh (E-TAB), Tour Operators Association of Kuakata, St. Martin Hotel Owners Association, Tour Operators Association of St Martin, St. Martin Shop Owners Association, St. Martin Boat Owners Cooperative Association, Fishermen Owners Association, Leaders of Bangladesh Sleeper AC Bus Owners Association, Ship Owners Association, Sea-Cruise Operators Leaders of Owners Association of Bangladesh (SQUAB) were present.
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