Thai beach bounces back - 7th January 2022

Prior to the world lockdown, mass tourism had brought the idyllic Phi Phi islands in Thailand to the brink of ecological catastrophe.

Maya Bay, immortalised in the film 'The Beach' starring Leonardo DiCaprio was drawing up to 6,000 visitors a day although its narrow beach stretches just 250 metres. Arriving by polluting motorboats, there was a huge impact on marine life and the delicate corals. By 2018, up to 60 percent of the coral had been destroyed.

Now as the area once again opens to tourism, the hope is that it can be the standard bearer of a new, more sustainable model of tourism.

Sirithon Thamrongnawasawat is the Singha Estate vice president for sustainability and development. They have helped develop an education centre.

Sirithon Thamrongnawasawat: "We would like to make sure that everyone has been educated so that's why we come up with the Marine Discovery Centre (MDC) where we show the tourists what is the impact, what is the biodiversity, what is the relationship between your behaviour and the impact to the corals."

During the lockdown, nature began to replenish itself and sharks returned to the bay. Kullawit Limchularat is a marine biologist working to further aid the return of sharks to the area.

Kullawit Limchularat: "We have a plan to give awareness to the tourists about the importance of the sharks in ecology and we have a plan to release them back into nature."

The bay opened again for tourism on 1st January but there'll be strict rules in place, boats won't be allowed to enter the bay and numbers will be restricted.

This will mean a dramatic drop in income for the local area but the intention is to attract high-end rather than mass tourism.

Sirithon Thamrongnawasawat: "We would love to have more responsible tourists and also, those who come can help the economy of the local people."