Chinese tourism boom blamed as Thai beach from Leonardo DiCaprio film closes
Maya Bay, one of Asia’s most beautiful holiday destinations was shut to visitors on June 1, as drastic measures were implemented to fend off environmental catastrophe
The impact of excessive tourism is clear for all to see, but no one is taking much notice as officials from Thailand’s national parks authority sit at a long table on the sand at Maya Bay, on the island of Phi Phi Leh, to announce the formal closure (on June 1) of this popular beauty spot in the Andaman Sea.
As the officials attempt to address the horde jammed along the narrow beach, a major amphibious operation is under way, with thousands of visitors being disgorged from a fleet of arriving speedboats. The voices and whistles of park rangers are drowned out by the roar of smoke-belching, 250-horsepower outboard motors. By 11am, more than 100 such boats can be counted in the small bay. And this is low season.
As he surveys the dystopian scene, Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, of Bangkok’s Kasetsart University, despairs.
“When I first came here, 38 years ago, this place was heaven,” says the marine scientist and environmental campaigner, who led calls for the closure.
Phi Phi Leh is one of six islands in the Phi Phi archipelago, which lies between the larger island of Phuket, to the west, and the Thai mainland, to the east. Postcard-perfect Maya Bay – surrounded by jagged limestone cliffs that tower over crystalline turquoise waters – became globally famous after starring, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, in Hollywood film The Beach (2000). It has remained one of Thailand’s most popular natural attractions ever since, with devastating results.
“This was all coral once,” says Thon. “But now there is nothing.”