The Sundarbans, a Unesco World Heritage Site and the world’s largest mangrove forest, is all set to reopen its door to tourists on Wednesday after a five-month closure because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, reports the Daily Ittefaq.
The fishermen will also be allowed to enter the Sundarbans for netting fish from the same day, according to an official from the Forest Department.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans East Division Muhammad Belayet Hossain said a restriction on movement of tourists and boats in the Sundarbans was imposed in April this year to stem the spread of Covid-19.
But the Forest Department has decided to lift all the curbs from September 1 and allow tourists into the forest, he said.
With this, the Sundarbans-based tourism industry is set to come back to life.
M Nazmul Azam David, general secretary of the Tour Operators Association of the Sundarbans, said there are over 100 tour operators in Khulna division.
Of them, 63 are registered operators and 1500 plus stuff are involved in Sundarbans-based tourism.
So, the restriction on entering the site threw the tour operators and traders into a major financial crisis, he said.
On March 26 last year, the government banned tourists from entering the Sundarbans to tackle the first wave of Covid-19 in Bangladesh.
However, the authorities allowed tourist gatherings there from November 1, 2020 when the pandemic situation improved.