Moneymaker Maya Bay 'The Beach' is being refurbished
The world famous beach of Phi Phi Leh, Maya Bay, gets a makeover. The beach and the bay have attracted so many tourists that it will close for 2 years to recover from the damage that mass tourism has done to nature.
During the closure, the makeover is being worked on. A platform will be constructed so that visitors can walk from Lo Sama Bay to Maya Bay. There will be toilets, taps with water and accommodation for supervisors. After the closure, the speedboats will be banned from the bay from now on. Boats are no longer allowed to anchor at the beach. The number of visitors is limited to a maximum of two thousand per day. Probably the entrance fee will go up.
The DNP also plans to introduce an e-ticket system that will allow better control of the number of visitors and ensure that the proceeds do not end up with the wrong people. In addition, 12.000 local guides have been trained to educate tourists about which activities are harmful to the marine ecosystem.
Closing the bay and the beach means a great loss for the local economy. According to the National Park Office, the national park, of which Maya Bay is a part, generates more revenue than any other national park in the country. Between October 2017 and June 2018, it accounted for 555 million baht, a quarter of the 2,3 billion baht revenue of all 154 national parks. That is remarkable for a bay that is only 250 meters long and 15 meters wide, but was visited daily by five thousand tourists.
Department of National Parks director Songtham says it took years to convince locals and the tourism industry that rigorous action was needed or else the beach would lose its appeal and eventually no tourists would come at all. The island was heavily polluted and the coral died off.
Prasert Wongna, head of the TAO Ao Nang (Krabi), says small tourism businesses are being hit hardest, especially owners of small long-tail boats. Some 500 to 600 boats daily brought tourists to the bay, earning 2.000 to 3.000 baht per day. Despite this, they too have resigned themselves to the closure. They have now adapted by choosing alternative routes to Koh Pai, the Monkey Bay and nearby dive sites, among others.
Source: Bangkok Post
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
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