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WORLD NEWS Friday 1 June 2018

Ailing Thai beach made famous by Hollywood closes to tourism

By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA But locals aren't entirely
Associated Press happy. The head of the
MAYA BAY, Thailand (AP) Phi Phi Tourist Business As-
— Once a pristine Thai par- sociation, Watrapol Jan-
adise, the secluded bay tharo, said he was surprised
made famous by the Leon- when the closure was an-
ardo DiCaprio movie "The nounced in March by Thai-
Beach" has been exhaust- land's National Parks and
ed by mass tourism. Now it's Wildlife Department.
getting a break. He said locals were under
After Friday, the daily in- the impression that Maya
flux of dozens of boats and Bay would only be closed
thousands of visitors unsuc- to boats, while visitors
cessfully scrambling for an would still walk to the bay
unspoiled view of Maya from the other side of the
Bay's emerald waters and island.
glistening white sand will "We are not against pro-
end. The attraction is being tecting our environment,"
closed for four months to he said. "We know full well
give its coral reefs and sea A tourist jumps for a photo on the popular on Maya Bay on Phi Phi island in Krabi province, that Maya Bay is our im-
life a chance to recover. Thailand, Thursday, May 31, 2018. portant resource, like a rice
Thailand has promoted Associated Press field to a farmer, but we
unfettered tourism for de- on its sands in 1999 to film close off the beach for a cover, so that the next gen- wish there are more com-
cades and the onslaught the dark backpacker tale few months is only natural eration can have a better munications about the
on Maya Bay, which is on based on a novel by Alex because the ocean needs and even more beautiful government's plan before
Phi Phi Leh Island in the Garland. Its corals have a break, a chance to re- destination." the decision was made."q
Andaman Sea, has only been decimated by the
picked up pace in recent suffocating clouds of sand
years. Authorities now say and sediment churned up
they are striving to balance by speedboats.
profit and conservation "I tried to push this cam-
and the closure will hap- paign for many, many
pen every year. years, but you know in
It is part of a rethink hap- Thailand we are a tourism
pening globally about unre- industry country and we
stricted tourism that brings need a lot of money, so
in big dollars but damages before not so many people
historic sites, harms the en- listened," said Thon Tham-
vironment and often alien- rongnawasawat, a marine
ates locals. biologist and member of a
Last month, the Philippines government committee on
began a six-month closure development and the envi-
of popular Boracay Island, ronment.
whose waters President Ro- "It should have been done
drigo Duterte described as 10 years ago but at least it
a "cesspool." Venice, the has been done," he said.
famed Italian lagoon city Thailand had about 35 mil-
that lives off tourism, in- lion international visitors last
stalled gates at two access year, a five-fold increase
bridges during a four-day in little more than two de-
holiday in April so it could cades.
turn back visitors if numbers Shi Pengfei, among the
became overwhelming. last tourists to visit Maya
Many of Thailand's marine Bay before its closure, said
national parks are closed he had no idea that there
from mid-May to mid-Oc- would be so many people
tober during the monsoon on the beach.
season but because of "I feel that there are so
Maya Bay's popularity, it many people here," said
hasn't had a break since Shi, from Henan, China.
a Hollywood crew set foot "The government's plan to