Maya Bay From Leonardo DiCaprio's 'The Beach' To Close Due To Too Many Tourists

As seen in the hit Danny Boyle movie The Beach, Thailand’s Maya Bay has been a popular destination for film lovers and travellers alike. Now, tourists are set to face a temporary ban and long-term limits on the number of visitors.

The beach on Koh Phi Phi Leh that was featured in Leonardo DiCaprio’s hit film from 1999, is to be temporarily shut down by Thai authorities in an attempt to allow coral reefs and sea life time to recover from years of relentless tourism activity.

You might also like: Top Movies That Inspire Us to Book Holidays

The stunning bay will be initially closed for up to four months to allow some natural recovery to occur. The secluded region shot to fame after it was featured in The Beach, a film based on an Alex Garland novel of the same name. Leonardo DiCaprio played a young adventurer in the movie and soon after it was released the number of visitors to the tiny island rose dramatically.

Visitors will be completely banned this year from Maya Bay from June until September, the traditional low season in Thailand, and this looks set to be a move that will occur annually. On average 200 boats carrying over 4000 tourists sail into the area daily and as a result, according to surveys by marine biologists, coral reefs have been destroyed and sea life has virtually disappeared.

‘Overworked and tired, all the beauty of the beach is gone. We need a timeout for the beach.’ says Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a prominent marine scientist and member of Thailand’s national strategy committee on environment development. Others have claimed that it might already be too late to save Maya Bay.

When the beach is finally reopened, a daily limit of 2000 tourists will be set. No boats will be allowed to anchor directly within the bay itself, and will instead have to moor off floating pontoons on the opposite side of the island.

Thailand remains a hugely popular destination for travellers from all over the world. When The Beach premiered 18 years ago, there were 10 million annual visitors, compared to an estimated 38 million who will arrive this year alone.

Bustling Maya Bay on a typical afternoon

Two other Thai islands were closed to tourists in the past. In 2016, Koh Yoong, part of the Phi Phi island chain, and Koh Tachai, in the Similan Islands National Park, were made off-limits. The results have been encouraging enough for authorities to make this most recent curb.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.