Maya Bay in Thailand shut indefinitely
The glittering Thai bay immortalised in the movie The Beach (2000) will be closed indefinitely to allow it to recover from the impact of hordes of tourists, an official said as a temporary ban on visitors expired. Maya Bay, ringed by cliffs on Ko Phi Phi Le island, gained popularity when it featured in the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
It was initially shut for four months in June due to beach erosion and pollution, as the white sand paradise sagged under pressure from thousands of day-trippers arriving by boat. But a survey of the problem during the temporary ban made clear that the short-term fix was not going to work and that the damage was worse than originally thought.
“We have evaluated each month and found out that the ecological system was seriously destroyed from tourism of up to 5,000 people daily,” said Songtam Suksawang, director of the National Parks office. “It’s very difficult to remedy and rehabilitate, because its beach was completely destroyed as well the plants which cover it,” he said, adding it was impossible for recovery to occur in the allotted time.
Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation announced the indefinite closure in a royal gazette that was published recently. It said the restrictions on tourism would not be lifted until the ecosystem recovers fully.