Thailand’s Maya Bay
Thailand is known for its remarkable beaches and landscapes, but with its dramatic Karst cliffs, fine white sand and crystal-clear turquoise water, Maya Bay truly stands out. Part of the Hat Noppharat Tara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, the bay even meets Hollywood’s standards for the perfect beach and tropical paradise. In fact, this is where a young Leonardo DiCaprio starred in his 2000 movie, The Beach.
The only problem was that due to the Hollywood exposure, the bay became way too popular with travelers. In fact, at the peak of its popularity in 2018, it is thought that as many as 6,000 visitors were arriving in Maya Bay every day – a number that was not sustainable.
Meanwhile, the bay is relatively small, at only 50 ft (15 m) in width, and 820 ft (250 m) in length, meaning Maya Bay soon became a victim of its own popularity. People left their garbage behind, damaged plants and coral and spooked the wildlife. As the bay is accessed by boat, the anchors are said to have destroyed as much as 50 percent of Maya Bay’s delicate coral.
At the time, photos of thousands of tourists packing what is actually a protected natural area soon led to outrage among Thai citizens, and in 2018, officials decided to completely close Maya Bay to visitors.
Maya Bay reopens
Initially, the government planned to close Maya Bay for only four months, but it was soon realized that it would take much longer for nature to revive. Plans also needed to be made to protect the beach in the future, so officials ended up extending the closure for four years.
Maya Bay finally reopened on January 1, 2022, two months after Thailand began welcoming vaccinated travelers.
CNN quotes Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-Archa as saying in a statement: “Maya Bay has been continuously receiving interest from tourists around the world. But this has also caused (the natural area) to deteriorate, especially the corals.”
“After shutting down Maya Bay to revive and restore it, up until the present, it has returned to a good condition,” the minister added.
New entry rules and sustainability goals
What has changed since the entrance to Maya Bay was closed off in 2018? Initially, the bay was thoroughly cleared of garbage, and plants, trees and coral were planted. Next, work started on creating an entirely new tourism infrastructure to protect the area in and around the bay.
In an effort to limit damage to sand and plants, a boardwalk has been constructed, plus future travelers will reach the bay via a floating dock, located behind the karst cliffs. This means that boats are no longer allowed to anchor in the bay itself. Besides these efforts, a new designated area has been set aside in the bay for swimming.
Capping visitors to Maya Bay
Most importantly, the natural park has put a cap on the number of visitors to Maya Bay. Instead of the former around 6,000 a day, Vorapot Lomlim, head of Hat Noppharat Tara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, has said they are limiting visitors to 300 people in one of seven or eight shifts each day, between 10 am and 4 pm. In effect, this now limits the total number of daily visitors to 3,000 people.
Marine life returns to Maya Bay
Besides benefitting the natural environment, it turns out marine life has returned to Maya Bay. In 2021, the national park posted photos and video to its Facebook page. The images and footage showed a pristine, untouched bay, with no people – a total contrast to the bay in previous years.
It was also noted that marine life and animals have started returning to the bay. An underwater camera in Maya Bay has allowed local scientists to count as many as 100 black-tipped sharks swimming in the bay. In 2018, it was believed there were only six remaining.
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