‘The Beach’ bay to close for 4 months
THAILAND’S Maya Bay, made famous by the film “The Beach,” will close to visitors for four months from June to allow its coral reefs to recover from rising temperatures and the environmental impact of thousands of visitors each day.
The bay, on Phi Phi Leh island in the Andaman Sea, was the main location of the 2000 film starring Leonardo Di Caprio, which revealed to viewers the stunning beauty of Thailand’s turquoise seas and white-powder beaches, spurring many to visit.
Up to 5,000 visitors go to the beach every day, says Thailand’s tourism agency, traveling by speedboat and ferries to Maya Bay, which is sheltered by 100meter high cliffs.
“This is one way to try to preserve our natural heritage, which is a vital part of our important tourism industry,” said Kanokkittika Kritwutikon, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s office in Phuket.
No boats will be allowed to moor in the bay, said a tour operator, Maya Bay Tours.
“We have been advised that Maya Bay will close from June 1 to September 30 to allow some recovery time for the bay,” it said on its website. “No boats will be allowed to moor in Maya Bay, but we will run past the bay.”
Tourism receipts make up about 12 percent of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, but there has been increasing concern about its ability to manage rapidly growing number of visitors and the environmental impact of mass tourism.