The media picked up news from AFP about the Maya Bay beach closure. Tourism Thailand formally denies this information!
Information resumed with a spelling error
AFP (Agence France Presse) is a very serious news agency. But it is not impossible that a « fake news is sometimes slipped in. However, many media outlets have revived information about the closure by citing the island of Kho Phi Pho…
A formal denial of this closure
[1]The Tatnews. org website, site of the official press releases of the Thailand Tourist Authority, denied the information.
It states that « The Department of National Parks has so far confirmed that the Phi Phi Phi Islands, home of the famous Maya Bay, will remain open to visitors ».
However, that doesn’t mean they won’t close it in the future.
As a reminder, Koh Phi Phi Phi is made up of two islands, Koh Phi Phi Don, the inhabited part of Koh Phi Phi and Koh Khi Phi Ley, an uninhabited part that shelters Maya Bay.
[2]Maya Bay is an unforgettable beach
This famous beach was made famous by the film » The Beach » with Leonardo Di Caprio which was shot in 2000 on Maya Bay, on the island of Koh Phi Phi Phi Leh.
Celebrity has a price. The number of visitors is nowadays very high. The visit becomes rather disappointing.
Maya Bay could close for a few months… if… .
The thousands of tourists who visit Maya Bay every day have a devastating effect on the site’s environment.
It has been announced for several years now that it is closed a few months a year.
This type of measure exists for other locations in Thailand, generally closed from mid-May to mid-October. But for the moment, economic stakes in Maya Bay prevail.
Serge Fabre