Maya Bay, the tropical island cove of Hollywood acclaim in Krabi province, finally reopened for tourism on January 1, after 3-and-a-half years of closure in a bid to restore its damaged white-sand beach and decimated marine ecosystem.
Officials temporarily closed the bay in June 2018 to clean the beach and restore the area’s coral reefs. Originally planned as a 4 month closure, officials closed the bay indefinitely in October of that year to allow more time for the environment to recuperate from the effects of over-tourism.
Located in the famed Phi Phi Islands of Krabi province, the bay is part of Phi Phi Lei Island in Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. It was made famous in the 2000 dark romance film, The Beach, starring a young Leonardo DiCaprio. Since then, millions of tourists have flocked to the bay to capture a slice of cinematic paradise.
Prior to its…
