Asia’s paradise beaches to close for summer after tourist pollution damages ecosystem
BEFORE it hit the Hollywood big screen, the white sands and crystal blue waters of Thailand’s Maya Bay provided a magical, unspoiled getaway.
But the once pristine bay on the island of Koh Phi Phi Leh is being ruined by mass tourism.
Since featuring in the 2000 Leonardo Dicaprio film The Beach, Maya Bay has been visited by around 4,000 pleasure seekers and 200 boats every day.
Officials have now taken the decision to close it to the public for four months from June in a bid to allow its battered coral reefs and sea life to recover.
Maya Bay is one of a growing number of beaches that face temporary closure this summer as their ecosystems struggle to cope with the devastating impact of unfettered tourism. The Filipino island of Boracay is another. Its three-mile, white-sand beach will shut for six months from April after sewage started being dumped in the sea.
Rodrigo Duterte, the country’s outspoken president, called the resort a “cesspool” as he declared a “state of calamity” last month, prompting neighbouring islands such as Calaguas to clean up their acts and regulate development.
Environmentalists have welcomed efforts to try and salvage natural beauty spots to protect wildlife, coral reefs and local economies. Jean-luc Solandt, a specialist in sea ecology at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “Reef environments are very fragile and mass tourism can wreck them.
“Hopefully, the sites can be made accessible again in future, but this will require careful management, restricting numbers of visitors and where they can go.”
British tour operators are also resigned to the fact that a long-term environmental fix is necessary. Rachel Gleaves, Asia project manager at Turquoise Holidays, said the company tried to “steer people towards more unspoiled islands off the beaten track”.
And James Pook, Audley Travel’s South East Asia product manager, said the firm supported the authorities’ decisions for temporary closures.
“We believe this is a necessary step to ensure that places can continue to be enjoyed by visitors for many years to come,” he said.