Sundarbans reopens to tourists after 7 months

Unesco World Heritage Site Sundarbans reopened its door to tourists on Sunday after a seven-month closure due to the ongoing pandemic.

On the first day of reopening, 700-800 visitors entered the world's largest mangrove forest on 16-17 ships, reports UNB quoting the tour operators.

With this, the Sundarbans-based tourism industry has come back to life.

Earlier, a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change was held on October 19 over the reopening, sources at the Sundarbans Forest Department said.

The meeting participants decided to reopen the Sundarbans from November 1 ahead of the upcoming tourist season.

On March 19, to contain the spread of Covid-19, the Forest Department announced a temporary restriction on movement of tourists and boats in the Sundarbans.

The ban was maintained across the eastern and western Sundarbans until further notice.