2-8-2023 (KRABI) Maya Bay, the picturesque location of the Hollywood blockbuster The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will be closed for two months during the monsoon season for natural rehabilitation, according to Ratchanok Phaenoi, chief of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park. The closure started on Tuesday and will last until September 30. It’s also being done for tourist safety as strong waves during the rainy season will make it difficult for boats to dock at Loh Sama Bay on Koh Phi Phi Le, which is within walking distance of Maya Bay.
Maya Bay reopened to tourists on January 1 last year after being off-limits for three and a half years due to overcrowding, which led to the destruction of coral reefs and its marine ecology. Since then, the park has limited the total number of tourists to about 4,000 a day and does not allow people to swim in the bay to protect the island’s sensitive ecology. Although tourist boats are forbidden from docking at the bay, there is a pier at Loh Sama for them.
Maya Bay will be closed every year during the monsoon season from now on, said the park. Ms Ratchanok added that the break will help restore the bay’s ecology. The beach’s closure marks another step towards promoting sustainable tourism in Thailand, where overtourism has been a concern. The Thai government has launched several initiatives to tackle the problem, including its “Go Local” campaign, which encourages tourists to visit lesser-known destinations.
