Beach from Leonardo DiCaprio film to temporarily close due to tourist damage

The Thai authorities ordered the temporary closure of the beach known for the Leonardo DiCaprio movie "Beach" to prevent environmental damage by too many tourists.

Maya Bay of PhiPire island of the Andaman Sea will be closed to all visitors to recover coral reefs and marine organisms affected by the island for four months beginning in June this year. Thai National Park Wildlife Service decided to keep tourists away on Wednesday

Many of the Thai Marine National Parks are closed from the middle of May to the middle of October but due to the necessity of traveling, since Hollywood crew departed and photographed the dark base backpack story in 1999, Maya Bay It is open all the year round. Alex Garland

According to a recent survey by a team led by marine biologists, most of the surrounding coral reefs have disappeared and marine life has almost disappeared.

Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a member of Thailand's National Environment Development Strategy Committee, says: "It's like a man who has not worked for decades of work." "Too exhausted due to overwork, the beauty of the beach has disappeared.

"If you ask me if it is too late to save our island, the answer is" No ". But if you do not do anything today, it's too late, "said Park Manager director Thanya Netithammakum.

When Maya Bay restarts, the agency limits the number of visitors per day to 2,000 people and this ship is no longer allowed to park there and needs to dock to the other side of the island.

Thon said the number of tourists on the beach is not sustainable, it is better to temporarily close down than it is not.

"Local people know this, we all know," he said. "This is a great way to start managing destinations, we can improve what we learned in the first year, we recognize that it is important to manage resources." Sustainable The tourism industry also benefits local people. "

Last year, more than 35 million visitors visited Thailand and when visiting for the first time in 2000, about 10 million visited.

The Thai authorities have closed islands that were damaged by mass tourism so far. As part of the Phi Phi island chain, Koh Yoong and Koh Tachai of the Similan Archipelago National Park have not been restricted by tourists since mid 2016.

Thon, who recently investigated the two islands said the result is surprising. He stated that the area where the marine life is rough and the coral is fading is now full of rich marine life and coral. He is convinced that closure every year will also help in the recovery of Maya Bay.

"I've been dreaming that I can work hard enough to rejuvenate her someday.I have been paying attention and working in the Mayan Bay for more than 30 years.I see it as a paradise All in Thailand is a dream of a marine biologist, "he said.

For environmental reasons, Boracay is not the only one temporarily closed island in Southeast Asia, though unprecedented in the Philippines. To protect damaged coral reefs, Thailand closes Maya Bay, a famous sightseeing spot on the beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio in June. Thailand also decided to close the popular diving spot along the coast in 2016 and 2011 to restore coral reefs. We agree that many islanders need to solve environmental problems, but the closure of Boracay is suddenly announced several weeks before the closure of Long Island Island. Mark Gupo, 31-year-old operation manager of Boracay's popular bar crawl, says: In order to survive his event company, Gupo moved to Manila at the first rumble of closure.

On the warm summer evening in July 2004, I was lying on the beach of the original island in Thailand, not far from the film "beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio four years ago. Distant. An interesting story itself is not so strange as it happened next, but how can I be there? It was a clear night - very clear, I was able to see low earth orbit satellites that passed countless stars every 20 minutes or so. I had two cups of wine for that night's breakfast. It is impossible to explain amazing experiences that can not be explained by two tie size wines (this is like a thimble).