Thai beach closes to allow recovery of the eco-system

Maya Beach – crowded with tourists and speed boats

Maya Bay, on Phi Phi Leh island in the Andaman Sea of Thailand, which was the set for the Hollywood film ‘The Beach’, has closed indefinitely to give its ecosystem to recover.

The beach has become famous after the shooting of the film acted by Leonardo DiCaprio.

It is estimated that around 6,000 tourists visited the beach every day, traversing in speedboat from the nearby resort islands of PhiPhi and Phuket and Krabi on the mainland. It is said to have affected the eco-system, especially the marine life like coral reefs and mangroves.

Leonardo DiCaprio in the move ‘The Beach’

Before, the beach was closed for four months, but the authorities felt that four months was no enough for the ecosystem to normal from the damages caused by over tourism.

“We need at least a year or even up to two years or maybe more, for the environment to recover. This includes the coral reefs, mangrove, and the beach,” said Songtham Sukswang, the Director of the Office of National Parks.

Tourism constitutes about 12 per cent of Thailand’s economy, but there has been growing concern about the country’s capability to handle the ever growing number of visitors.