tourism

• Maya Bay


  Located on a beach on the Thai Island of Koh Phi Phi Leh
• Maya Bay closed off to tourists due to environmental concerns

  2018
• Maya Bay reopened after being closed for 4 years to allow the ecosystem to heal


  January 2022
• Environmental concerns that led to the closure of Maya Bay


  • Overcrowding
  • Tourists activities such as overfishing, destruction of coral reefs, and pollution
• Protection measures introduced


  1. Beach regeneration (marine biologists replanted artificial reefs and removing debris from the area)

  2. Limiting number of boats (the department of national parks has limited the number of visistons - not more than 4,125 - per day. Allocated into 1 hour slots and each slot cannot exceed 375 people aiming to reduce the impact of boat emirisions, oil spills and erosion caused by waves)

  3. No swimming (people are no longer allowed to swim to protect the wildlife and corals)

  4. No anchoring (boars are no longer allowed to anchor in the bay instead they must dock at an offshore pier - passengers travel to a smaller vessel to reach the bay)

  5. Ban on plastic (the use of single use plastic is banned in the bay)
• The rehabilitation has finally restored the ecosystem and Maya bay is open again for tourism with new rules in space to prevent damage in the future
• International tourists in Thailand are expected to reach 24 million, or around 60% of pre pandemic levels, by 2024