Maya Bay, One of Thailand's Most Famous Beaches Is Closing

Local Hua Hin and regional Thailand news articles and discussion.
Post Reply
User avatar
hhfarang
Hero
Hero
Posts: 11060
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2004 1:27 am
Location: North Carolina

Maya Bay, One of Thailand's Most Famous Beaches Is Closing

Post by hhfarang »

"Always wanted to visit Thailand? We have some bad news

It’s said we can’t have too much of a good thing, but when it comes to tourism, it looks like we actually can.

Maya Bay on the Thai island of Koh Phi Phi Leh will be closed and unavailable to visitors all summer long this year while a crew tries to repair damages that are the result of over-tourism.

Maya Bay gets 5,000 visitors a day, most often by boat from Phuket or Koh Phi Phi, says the Guardian, and the wear and tear of all those docking boats, the human traffic and the discarded garbage have turned the once-perfect beach into anything but perfection.

Ironically, the beach became a hot spot after a movie, The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio depicted an American backpacker who visits Thailand and finds the perfect beach. This fame turned out to be the beach’s undoing, made sadder by the fact that DiCaprio is a known environmentalist himself.

As Thailand is already suffering from an environmental dilemma — almost 80 percent of Thailand’s coral reefs have been destroyed — this work can't be taken care of too soon. ..."

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles ... ch-closing
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
laphanphon
Guru
Guru
Posts: 787
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:15 am

Re: One of Thailand's Most Famous Beaches Is Closing

Post by laphanphon »

Fake News ...... not closing. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/ ... l/30338976

Here's the really sad part, nobody cares, as profits are so much more important. Posted elsewhere and sadly, from a tour operator:

"This news comes up every single year on phi phi but it has not been confirmed yet. However if it does happen, which is likely this low season, you can still visit Maya bay. The beach itself won't be closed, only the main entry to the bay, you will be able to asscess Maya beach from the back entry, Loh Samah bay. Which is quiet usual way of getting there during these 3 months in low season anyways because of the waves, so I don't think any of the trips and boat tours will get affected very much."

So IF and WHEN ........ it will simply be a headliner for the ignorant who think change would ever happen, and not going to, if they affect profits.
User avatar
buksida
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22472
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: south of sanity

Re: One of Thailand's Most Famous Beaches Is Closing

Post by buksida »

Here is a more reputable source which says there will be a partial closure ...

Thailand’s Maya Bay, location for The Beach, to close to tourists
It is one of the world’s most famous beaches, thanks to its starring role in Danny Boyle’s film of Alex Garland’s bestselling novel, and is often referred to simply as “the beach”. However, this summer Maya Bay, on the Thai island of Koh Phi Phi Leh, will be closed to tourists as authorities attempt to reverse decades of damage done to the region’s marine environment.

The closure will take place from June to September, during the island’s low season, in order to give its coral reef time to recover. While similar measures have been introduced on other Thai islands – in 2016 local authorities closed Koh Tachai – it is the first time tourists will be forbidden from visiting Maya Bay.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018 ... o-dicaprio
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
laphanphon
Guru
Guru
Posts: 787
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:15 am

Re: Maya Bay, One of Thailand's Most Famous Beaches Is Closing

Post by laphanphon »

The 'guardian' vs TAT........OK

The news of closure, all seem to be based on the same 'environmentalists' opinion that it should be. Not from gov't agency, Thai gov't agency, saying it will be.
Post Reply