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Maya Bay, on Phi Phi Leh island in the Andaman
Sea, was closed for four months on June 1 in a bid to salvage
the area's coral reefs, which have been damaged by warmer
temperatures and a flood of tourists.
Up to 6,000 visitors had gone to the beach every day, traveling
by speedboat from the nearby resort islands of Phi Phi and
Phuket and Krabi on the mainland.
"Four months' closure was not enough," Songtham Sukswang, the
director of the Office of National Parks, told Reuters.
"We need at least a year or even up to two years or maybe more
for the environment to recover - this include the coral reefs,
mangrove, and the beach," Songtham said.
Tourism makes up about 12 percent of Thailand's economy, but
there has been growing concern about the country's ability to
manage its rapidly growing number of visitors.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by
Nick Macfie
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