COX BAZAR, Bangladesh – The first tourist vessel of the season, the MV Baro-Aulia, left the BIWTA’s Nuniachhara terminal in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday for Saint Martin’s Island, promoting plastic-free tourism.
The sailboat carried 653 tourists, all agreeing to cruise without plastic or polythene products.
The district administration closely monitored the verification of travel passes to guarantee a smooth and organized journey.
Tourists placed their polythene and plastic products in designated garbage cans before boarding the vessel and received complementary cloth bags as part of an eco-friendly program.
The Deputy Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar personally greeted the tourists on the ship and exchanged pleasantries.
The tourists expressed their gratitude for the project and their delight with the efficient management and environmentally friendly methods.
On Saint Martin’s Island, representatives from the tourism management committee, tourist police, and the Department of Environment collaborated to ensure environmental conservation and controlled tourism operations.
Their combined efforts helped substantially to protect the island’s ecosystem.
This campaign, launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change in collaboration with relevant Departments, exemplifies sustainable tourism and encourages future travelers to adopt more ecologically responsible activities.
Saint Martin Island is a small coral island in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, and forming the southernmost part of Bangladesh. It has an area of only three km.
