Maya Bay to close again for 2 months
MAYA BAY, WHICH reopened to tourists on Jan 1 after being off-limits for over three years, will be closed again from August to
September for the purposes of natural rehabilitation.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
announced the news to protect the island’s sensitive ecology last Friday (May 6).
Minister Varawut Silpaarcha said that plans to man
age tourism in the beautiful cove – made famous by the 2000 movie The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio – were on track.
Almost 100,000 people have visited the bay this year
generating over B20 million
of income, he said.
“We could say we made the right decision by introducing new regulations to manage tourism activity on this small but world-class island. It was prudent to forbid boats from docking in front of the beach, and also moving the entrance to the back of the island,” Mr Varawut said.
He said that despite strict measures to control the num
ber of tourists, the area was inundated over the long Songkran weekend when Maya Bay received over 3,000 visitors a day.
The ministry closed the island for three and a half years to restore its broken marine ecosystem. The long
break has helped turn back the clock and restore its marine ecology, resulting in a healthier coral reef and attracting long-absent blacktip reef sharks.
According to the ministry’s regulations, up to 380 tourists can visit the island for every hour it is open so as not to disturb the balance of nature. They are required to get off at Loh Sama Bay at the back of the island and
walk five minutes along a wooden trail to Maya Bay. Swimming activity is prohib
ited in the bay, and advance bookings are required.
As more tourists are expected following the country’s recent reopening, the minister said he has ordered
the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to fix any outstanding problems related
to the QueQ application. The
department has been relying on this app for advance bookings to visit national parks.
Tourism revenue from national parks countrywide is expected to double by year’s end. In 2021, the department collected B30 billion from entry fees.