Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay beach will likely stay closed to tourism for years to come.
It won’t be reopened until its ecosystem has fully recovered, and that could be up to five years, said Phi Phi national park chief Vorapot Lomlim.
"Maya Bay must continue to be closed until nature has fully recovered. We expect it will take four to five years," Vorapot said.
Maya Bay shot to fame in 2000 as the location of the Hollywood flick ‘The Beach’ and has been flooded with large tourist numbers ever since.
It led to authorities closing the beach last year.
Park officials have since stated the reef shark population has rebounded since the closure and a coral replanting programme has shown early success.
However they are taking no chances and will not reopen it to tourists until it is fully rehabilitated.
Even then , there will likely be strict daily limits on the number of tourists and boat mooring restrictions.
