Officials prepare to close Maya Bay
The General Director of the Department of National Parks, Thanya Neti Thammakul, has visited Maya Bay, which is expected to be closed to visitors for four months from June 1.
Along with his team, Thanya visited Koh Phi Phi Ley and Maya Bay on Monday to follow up on preparations for the closure.
The closure is meant to give the area time to rehabilitate, both onshore and offshore, after officials discovered that the coral reefs had been severely damaged by tourism. Between 4,000 and 5,000 tourists visit the island per day during the high season.
During the closure, no tourism activity will be allowed on the island; only academic research will be permitted. However, tourism companies will be able to park their boats outside the blocked area and allow tourists to take photos of the bay from there.
When the beach is reopened, the number of visitors will be limited to 2,000 per day.
There will be a pontoon bridge to park boats and drop off visitors who want to go to Maya Bay through Lo Chama Bay. Boats will no longer be allowed to park at the beachfront of Maya Bay.
“There is now a team of engineers and architects surveying the location to design the bridge that will be environmental friendly,” said Thanya.
Source: https://thethaiger.com/news/preparing-to-close-down-maya-bay
