Thai authorities lock down The Beach for two months
When Leonardo DiCaprio arrives at the set of "The Beach" in Thailand's Maya Bay, the beach is an untouched natural gem. The success of the film turns the beach into a curse: day after day, hordes of tourists arrive. Thai authorities have once again pulled the plug.
The world-famous Maya Bay on the Thai dream archipelago of Ko Phi Phi will be closed to tourism again from Thursday for two months. From August 1 to September 30, visitors will not be allowed during the rainy season to allow the bay and its fragile ecosystem to recover from the tourist influx, Thai media report, citing authorities.
The white tropical beach with its distinctive rocks gained worldwide fame through Danny Boyle's hippie blockbuster "The Beach" from 2000, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. In addition to Maya Bay, two other bays will also be closed, Loh Samah Bay and Lo Kor Bay, according to the "The Nation" newspaper, citing the local national park chief, Yutthapong Damsrisuk.
In June, he had already announced that severe coral bleaching had been discovered at some of the most beautiful snorkeling and diving spots on Ko Phi Phi. In some cases, 100 percent of all corals and sea anemones were affected. Tourism closures could perhaps help stop the process.
Three and a half years of closure - then the tourists returned
After the success of "The Beach," masses of tourists had flocked to Maya Bay on the otherwise uninhabited island of Phi Phi Leh for years to admire the bay. Soon, the paradise turned into an overcrowded nightmare. Dozens of boats anchored in the once-intact reef every day, the corals were destroyed, the blacktip reef sharks disappeared, and the trash piled up.
At the insistence of marine biologists, the authorities finally pulled the plug: In June 2018, Maya Bay was unexpectedly closed - and remained closed for three and a half years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was only reopened to tourists in January 2022, under stricter rules. Nevertheless, the beach remains a highlight for tourists. From October 2023 to July 2024, another 1.6 million tourists arrived.
The closure during the monsoon season is also about the safety of visitors: Most guests arrive by traditional longboats from the neighboring island of Phi Phi Don. In rainy and rough sea conditions, it is difficult for the sometimes very old boats to dock at Loh Samah Bay, from where visitors now walk to Maya Bay.
Coral reefs in Maya Bay have suffered significantly due to tourism, with severe coral bleaching affecting numerous snorkeling and diving spots. The closure of Maya Bay, Loh Samah Bay, and Lo Kor Bay for two months during the rainy season aims to help the fragile coral reefs recover.
