Three passenger ships with about 1,174 visitors departed Cox's Bazar for Saint Martin's Island on Sunday, officially reopening overnight stays after months of prohibition.

Officials scheduled the ships to arrive on the island around noon, departing from Cox's Bazar's Nuniachhara jetty between 7:00 and 8:00 am.

One ship, Keari Sindabad, was fined Tk 50,000 by the local authorities for selling tickets on the first day of operation without completing the necessary online registration.

As officials from the Department of Environment, Tourist Police, BIWTA, and the district administration kept an eye on adherence to the government's 12-point guideline for protecting the environmentally delicate island, tourists started boarding before dawn.

All passengers at the jetty received aluminum water bottles from the Department of Environment in an effort to reduce the use of single-use plastic.

The coral island will only allow up to 2,000 visitors each day for two months; until January 31st, tourists will be able to take this trip continuously.

The Sea Cruise Operator Owners Association of Bangladesh's general secretary, Hossain Islam Bahadur, informed the media that 1,174 tourists came to the island on Sunday.

Nilufa Yasmin Chowdhury, a Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer, informed reporters that strict oversight is in place in compliance with government guidelines to ensure that no more than 2,000 tourists visit the island daily. 

The surrounding 1,743-square-kilometer marine zone was designated a Marine Protected Area in January 2023 after Saint Martin's Island was identified as an ecologically critical area in 1999.

Without BIWTA's and the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change's approval, no ship will be allowed to pass through the coral island. 

Travelers must purchase their tickets online via the website authorized by the Bangladesh Tourism Board, where a QR code and travel pass will be provided. Without a QR code, tickets will be deemed invalid.

The number of visitors and the timetable for island visits will be closely regulated by the authorities. In February, all tourist travel to the island will be prohibited. On the island, it is forbidden to have barbecue parties, make noise, or light up the beach at night.

There are strict rules against entering the Keya forest, gathering and selling Keya fruits, and harming biodiversity, such as birds, sea turtles, corals, king crabs, snails, and oysters.

Any motorized vehicle, including sea bikes and motorcycles, is strictly forbidden on the beach. Single-use plastics (chip packets, straws, mini-packs of soap and shampoo, tiny plastic bottles, etc.) are discouraged, and polythene cannot be transported.