Thailand's famed Maya Bay set to reopen to tourists on January 1st - strict limits apply

[webfact]

Maya Bay. File photo

 

Channel 7 TV reported on the impending reopening of Maya Bay in Krabi after the area was closed to tourists for more than 3 years.

 

Hat Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi national park chief Pramote Kaewnam was with other officials in the area putting the finishing touches ahead of the reopening on January 1st 2022. 

 

He said that preparations were 95% ready.

 

The first tourists will arrive at 7 am. They will be limited to a one hour visit with a maximum number of 375 tourists at a time. 

 

This will enable 4,125 visitors a day.

 

Last tourists must vacate the area by 6 pm. 

 

The media reported that the regeneration of the area was a continuing process. 

 

It was shut after mass and unregulated tourism ruined it. Now jetties have been constructed at the beach behind the bay that will provide access for the tourists who will use a specially constructed walkway.

 

Black tip reef sharks have returned to the area, said Channel 7, and a terrestrial crab called "Poo Kai" in Thai and colloquially know as the Brown Land Crab has also returned to the area.

 

In addition 30,000 corals cultivated offshore are now starting to thrive. 

 

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[overherebc]

Why not leave it alone and just sell photographs.

[2long]

How do they calculate 375 visitors to be the right number? It's like 525 divers in Similans.

Odd/Strange numbers

[tomazbodner]

Well, looks peaceful right now:

 

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by tomazbodner
pic showed twice

[HashBrownHarry]

They won't get that amount of visitors - no chance.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The first tourists will arrive at 7 am. They will be limited to a one hour visit with a maximum number of 375 tourists at a time. 

 

This will enable 4,125 visitors a day.

Numbers limited.. okay?

[madmitch]

4 hours ago, 2long said:

How do they calculate 375 visitors to be the right number? It's like 525 divers in Similans.

Odd/Strange numbers

That's around 12 boatloads. Hopefully they keep the boat mooring at one side of the bay and allow the visitors to swim and use the rest of the beach. It was like that when I first went there. My next visit was the opposite, with boats taking up around 75% of the beach and tourists congregated into a small swimming zone with dirty water.

 

Fortunately the Chinese tour groups will still be absent but even these numbers will probably scare the wildlife away again.

[Mr Meeseeks]

My first visit there was some 30 years ago. It was pristine, completely beautiful and hardly any tourists at all.

 

Then the Beach movie with Leo DiCaprio came out in the late 90's and it got busier, and busier, and busier...

 

Chinese tour groups were the final nail in the coffin. Locusts.

 

To quote Robert Carlyle from the film, "The big, chunky charlie's eating up the whole world!"

[daveAustin]

3 hours ago, madmitch said:

That's around 12 boatloads. Hopefully they keep the boat mooring at one side of the bay and allow the visitors to swim and use the rest of the beach. It was like that when I first went there. My next visit was the opposite, with boats taking up around 75% of the beach and tourists congregated into a small swimming zone with dirty water.

 

Fortunately the Chinese tour groups will still be absent but even these numbers will probably scare the wildlife away again.

Read again bruv. They say the jetty is the beach behind. 
 

Although necessary to save it getting wrecked, it’s all a bit contrived when you get marshalled around by-number. Expect boat rides will be at a premium too. Reckon they’d like all of Thailand to eventually be like this. Bhutan style… prebook a tour and only go certain areas. 

Edited December 30, 2021 by daveAustin

[RedArmy]

Where in Krabi is the best place to hire a boat from to go there & how long is the boat ride ?

[peskyvarmint]

Krabi Town Pier, Railay or Ao Nang. approx 3 hours 800-1000THB

http://www.krabi-tourism.com/phiphi/phiphi-transfer.htm

then boat to 'The Beach' 15 mins

[RedArmy]

40 minutes ago, peskyvarmint said:

Krabi Town Pier, Railay or Ao Nang. approx 3 hours 800-1000THB

http://www.krabi-tourism.com/phiphi/phiphi-transfer.htm

then boat to 'The Beach' 15 mins

Much appreciated

[peskyvarmint]

don't worry about the journey time, the views are stunning

[Misterwhisper]

Even 375 visitors an hour are way too many for that tiny beach, which very soon will experience its next bioshock.

[DonniePeverley]

Shudders at the thought of mass Chinese tourism destroying the beauty. 

[overherebc]

3 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Shudders at the thought of mass Chinese tourism destroying the beauty. 

They destroy (or eat) everything else 

Unfortunately it isn't going to stop.

[SpaceKadet]

Bad move IMO. Just leave it as it is for another year or five. Not enough tourist coming to Thailand anyways.

I was fortunate enough to see it pristine before the Hollywood and the Chinese hordes FOOBAR'ed it all...

[Meat Pie 47]

On 12/30/2021 at 2:49 PM, overherebc said:

Why not leave it alone and just sell photographs.

you mean the photo shopped ones ?