The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has responded to pleas for Maya Bay to re-open by telling local officials to wait. Krabi authorities are anxious for the famed beauty spot to re-open as they desperately try to revive tourism in the province. The bay has been closed since 2018 after conservationists determined that a break from visitors was vital to the recovery of its marine life.
In its heyday, Maya Bay, on the uninhabited island of Phi Phi Leh, had to cope with thousands of visitors a day, after shooting to international fame as a result of the 1999 Leonardo di Caprio movie, The Beach.
Visitor numbers peaked at nearly 5,000 a day during 2017, a year before officials finally closed it. The National Resources and the Environment Ministry says the famous tourist destination will only re-open to visitors once an upgrade to facilities is complete and…
