Sharks have returned in full numbers to a well-liked destination in Thailand, making a difficult situation for an area trying to revive its tourism attraction.
Video of Maya Bay, situated on the island of Ko Phi Phi Leh off the southwest of Thailand within the Andaman Sea, shows a heavy volume of beach-goers on the beaches and hesitant to walk deeper into the water as sharks swarm around within the waters just feet away.
“We don’t speak about closing down in every single place or reducing the tourism numbers, but I believe we’re talking about managing it properly,” said Petch Manopawitr, a marine advisor to Thailand’s National Parks Department.
The shark population returned and thrived over the past 4 years after a tourism ban and the COVID-19 pandemic restricted all visits to the realm.
The beaches of the island got here to prominence following the Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach,” released in 2000. At its peak, the island saw 5,000 tourists and 200 boats a day, in response to The Guardian.
Local authorities grew concerned with the extensive environmental damage attributable to the spike in tourism and announced a “temporary closing” from June 1, 2018. The pause prolonged from 4 months to 4 years, partially on account of travel bans implemented to combat the coronavirus.
Authorities allowed limited tourism to resume in 2022, but commentary through the usage of drones and underwater cameras allowed researchers to trace the variety of sharks and spot a decline once tourism was up and running again.
Tourism accounted for 12% of Thailand’s GDP before the pandemic, and revenue for Phi Phi Island National Park dropped by almost half following the tourism ban. The federal government stays keen to recapture that significant income, but conservationists have pressured for brand new restrictions, which the federal government has implemented.
“We hope that with the restrictions in place, we are able to mitigate the disturbance to (the sharks),” marine researcher Metavee Chuangcharoendee said of the situation. “We’re doing this research in hopes that we are able to find one of the best solution to manage and the easiest way for tourism and the environment to coexist.”
Tour boats must dock on the opposite side of the island from the beach; visitors must walk to the beach; the number of tourists allowed every hour is capped at 375, they usually are allowed to wade only knee-deep into the water.
“In the event you can create a latest image of Maya Bay as a nature reserve … I believe that is definitely going to create a latest tourism scheme as well and we (are) going to learn from it overall,” said National Parks Department advisor Petch.
Reuters contributed to this report.
