From January 1, 2022, Thailand plans to reopen one of the country’s most famous attractions – the Maya Bay in the Thai Hat Nopparat Tara-Mu-Ko-Phi-Phi National Park. However, tourists will be allowed there with great restrictions.
Note that the closure of this monument to visit occurred long before the coronavirus – in June 2018, the Gulf of Maya, famous among tourists for the 2000 film “Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was closed to tourists. The fact is that the attraction was very popular – the beach took at least 5 thousand people a day and in the nature of the island it did not affect in the best way.
“Maya Bay has always attracted the attention of tourists from around the world. But it has also degraded the natural area, especially corals. We closed the visit to the Bay of Maya to revive and restore it. And now it is back in good condition, “said Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varavut Silpa-Archa.
The new rules of visiting for tourists will be as follows: boats with tourists will not be able to enter directly into the bay, visitors will be landed on a special pier on the opposite side of the island. It will be recalled that the bay is located on the island of Phi Phi Le, which has no population of its own – the area of the island is only about 6.6 square meters. km, most of which are limestone rocks. The number of visitors will also be limited: only eight speedboats will be allowed to arrive on the island at a time, and visits will be limited to one hour, a maximum of 300 tourists per visit. Time will also be limited from 10:00 to 16:00 daily.
“The government is currently working on completing the construction of new piers and creating specially designated areas for water activities, which will be ready for opening on January 1,” the Thai minister added.
Currently, only excursions to the beach are allowed, but boats must stop at its outer border. Snorkeling is also allowed in front of the bay in specially designated areas.