Closed, open and yet closed again.
The famous Maya Bay in Thailand, known from the movie The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio, will once again be closed to tourists.
The well-known beach on the Thai archipelago Ko Phi Phi will be closed to tourism again for two months from Thursday.
During the rainy season from August 1 to September 30, no visitors are allowed so that the bay and its fragile ecosystem can recover from the influx of visitors.
This is reported by the German dpa on the authority of Thai media.
Authorities announced in June that a devastating coral bleaching event had been observed at some of Koh Phi Phi’s most beautiful snorkeling and diving sites.
In some cases, all the corals and sea anemones were affected.
The temporary closure to tourists could help stop this process.
The white tropical beach with its striking rocks gained world fame through the hippie blockbuster The Beach from 2000, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
After the success of The Beach, crowds of tourists made a pilgrimage to Maya Bay on the otherwise uninhabited island of Phi Phi Leh for years to marvel at the beautiful bay.
Soon, paradise turned into an overflowing nightmare.
Every day, dozens of boats dropped anchor in the once-intact reef.
The coral suffered, the blacktip sharks disappeared and the trash left behind by visitors piled up.
In June 2018, the beach was closed for the first time on the authority of marine biologists.
Partly due to the corona crisis, the beach remained closed for 3.5 years.
In January 2022, it was reopened to holidaymakers, albeit under strict rules.
The beach remains a major attraction for tourists.
From October 2023 to July this year alone, 1.6 million visitors were counted. (Photo Shutterstock).
