Since June 2018, the beautiful crescent-shaped Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh Island has been closed to tourists. However, according to Damras Phoprasit, director of the Department of National Parks, the beach will open from January 1 to welcome 4,000 tourists each day.
Damras Phoprasit said the reopening of the beach next year will help stimulate Krabi’s economy, yet it still requires stringent measures.
Visitors can only enter from 7 am to 6 pm. Boats carrying no more than 375 people will be limited to 11 trips daily. Only 22 shallow dives will be allowed per day. Tourists can snorkel for 45 minutes per time and stay in the water for an hour. And tourists can reserve their trip via the QueQ application from December 20.
The director added that tourists who arrive in the morning may spot blacktip reef sharks, while snorkellers may catch sight of painted spiny lobsters.
Before arriving and at the beach, tourists will be instructed to strictly comply with the national park’s regulations and refrain from leaving garbage in the area.
If this framework proves to be a success, other parts of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park will also reopen with the same regulations. (NNT)
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