Ctg’s Guliakhali sea beach now a protected tourist area

The government has declared Guliakhali beach along the Bay of Bengal in Chattogram's Sitakunda upazila as a protected tourist area.

To this end, a circular, signed by Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism Shyamoli Nobi, was issued on Monday.

The Chattogram district administration said a special plan has been taken to develop the beach as a tourist destination.

"In the circular, the 260-acres of Guliakhali beach has been declared a protected area for tourism," Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mominur Rahman told The Business Standard.

He said, "Unplanned infrastructure and other projects are having a devastating effect on the sea beach's environment. There is risk of further devastation in the future."

"To stop such establishments and projects in the potential tourism area and to grow tourism in Bangladesh, the ministry declared the beach a 'tourism protected area' as per section 4 of the Bangladesh Tourism Reserved Area and Special Tourism Zone Act, 2010," added Mominur.

Chattogram Additional Deputy Commissioner ASM Jamshed Khandaker said, "The notification issued by the tourism ministry has reached the district administration. An integrated project is being undertaken for the planned development of the beach."

​​Guliakhali beach, only five kilometers off Sitakunda Bazar, covers 259.10 acres. The beach, unlike any other in the country, is covered with green grass and thin canals that fill up with water during high tide.

From one side of this eccentric beach, one can see Keora forest on one side and the ocean on the other. This beach has managed to draw hundreds of tourists from different parts of the country since 2014 with its unique natural attributes.