Thailand has reopened Maya Bay made famous by the 2000 film “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, more than three years after it closed its ecosystem every day Allows to recover from the impact of thousands of visitors. The beach, surrounded by cliffs 100 m (328 ft) high, is located on Phi Phi Leh Island in the Andaman Sea, and is accessible only by boat from nearby locations such as Phuket or Phi Phi, or the islands of mainland Krabi. could.
Officials closed the entire Maya Bay to the public in 2018, saying that persistent tourist activity has damaged coral reefs and beach areas. But some visitors have been allowed to return since the beginning of this year. “The sharks are back, the coral reefs are growing again, and the water is clear again,” governor of Thailand’s tourism authority Yuthsak Supasorn told Reuters.
“These things suggest that nature will recover if we give it time, and we have to work to keep it that way.”
To ensure it remains protected, officials said only 375 visitors would be allowed in at a time and swimming would be restricted for now. He said that the boats would be allowed to dock only at a designated location behind the bay to avoid damaging the coral reef.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, tourism accounted for about 12% of Thailand’s economy and was a major driver of growth, with the country attracting 40 million visitors in 2019. But mass tourism in Thailand and other parts has often come at the expense of the environment. Southeast Asian, ever polluted with beautiful tropical beaches and littered with garbage.
“Maya Bay is beautiful, it’s a wonderful place,” said Manuel Panin, a 40-year-old tourist from Italy, who was visiting the beach.
“I think it’s okay that it’s closed at the moment to protect nature and allow it to restore and recover.”
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