Cox’s Bazar Correspondent: St. Martin’s coral island, surrounded by blue waters, was once a bustling tourist destination, but now it seems like a silent town. Closed hotels and resorts, locked restaurants, lamentations of unemployed people. In all, the country’s only coral island is now devoid of tourism.
Due to the closure of tourist travel, there is no income, as a result of which many hotel owners have been forced to lay off employees. However, some have not given up and have found new ways to make a living. For example, they have found a way to earn money by installing a carrom board in an empty restaurant and letting locals play.
When we went to the site, we saw that as soon as we entered Bazarpara from St. Martin’s Jetty, the once bustling Cinnamon Restaurant was seen empty on the right side. Now carrom is being played there. Locals are spending their time playing for 10 taka per game. The owner of the restaurant, Syed Amin, earns 400 to 500 taka daily from here.
He said, “The hotel business has been closed for four months. There are no tourists, so everyone has had to be laid off. The family will not stop, so I am making some money by removing the restaurant chairs and tables and installing a carrom board.”
He also said that once more than 20 employees worked in this establishment, but now everyone is unemployed.
Most of the hotels and restaurants in the vicinity, including Shahina Restaurant, Allah Dan Restaurant, Euro Bangla, and Asia Bangla Restaurant, have closed due to the limited tourist season. Shops are closed, and hungry dogs and unemployed people are roaming the streets. Some are weaving nets, and some are passing time on the streets and in the vicinity.
In between playing carrom, local youth Alamgir Chowdhury Akash said, “The people of St. Martin are in great trouble now. With no tourists, rickshaws, hotels, or restaurants, everywhere has no income.”
A man named Shahjalal said, “I used to do business; now I go to the sea with a fishing pole. But there are no people who can afford to buy fish. If we continue like this, we will starve to death.”
Taib Ullah, an elder of the Konarpara area, said, “Once upon a time, we used to raise cows, goats, and poultry. But when the tourism business started, everyone leaned towards that. Earlier, if we did business for four months, we would go for the whole year; now the government does not allow more than three months. This has caused us a lot of loss.”
Habibur Rahman, a former member of Ward No. 2 of St. Martin Union Parishad, said that there were more than 50 restaurants on the island, where about 1500 employees worked. Now everyone is unemployed. About 400 auto-rickshaw drivers have also lost their income. Some are selling cows and goats, while others are selling gold to support their families.
He also said, “St. Martin’s has been kept open for tourists for three months—November, December, and January. However, tourists do not come in November due to the ban on overnight stays. Business does not run for the rest of the year during the two months. The government should think about this.”
Hotel owner Rezaul Karim said, “I used to have 10 staff in my hotel; now there is only one. I am struggling to meet expenses. If this continues, I will have to sell the hotel.”
Former hotel employee Rabiul Hasan said, “I used to get a thousand taka in tips a day, but now I have no salary. My family is in a lot of trouble.”
As the tourism business collapses, some are leaving the island and migrating to the mainland. Residential hotelier Jasim Uddin Shuvo has opened a grocery shop in Teknaf Sadar. He said, “I can’t go to St. Martin’s anymore, so I am coming to Teknaf to run my family. When tourists come again, I will return to the hotel business.”
Acting Chairman of St. Martin Union Parishad, Faizul Islam, said that the administration has been informed about the hardships of the islanders. Despite processions and human chains at the local and national levels, no solution has been found. He is hopeful that the elected government will take effective steps in this regard.
Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Salahuddin said, “A program has been undertaken to protect St. Martin’s Island. Alternative livelihood options are being considered for local residents affected by the closure of tourist travel.”
On January 4, 2023, an area of 1,743 square kilometers of the Bay of Bengal adjacent to St. Martin was declared a protected area under the Wildlife Conservation Act. In August 2020, the government took the initiative to control tourists to protect the island’s biodiversity. An organization called the Center for Geographical Information Services (CEGIS) was given the responsibility of conducting a survey. The study said that overnight stays by tourists on St. Martin are not permissible.
