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The number of months that the famed Maya Bay in Thailand will be closed to tourists this year in a bid to reverse the damage caused by over tourism to its coral reef.

The idyllic cove on Ko Phi Phi Le was the filming location for the 2000 movie The Beach, starring Leonardo Di Caprio, about the search for an untouched backpacker paradise. Today, the beach and its waters are a far cry from the idyllic scenes depicted in the film, with as many as 5 000 people arriving daily on trips from the mainland resorts of Krabi and Phuket.

Tourists will be prevented from visiting between June and September to let the coral recover before high season.