2000 when the film directed by Danny Boyle was released. At the height of its popularity, the beach on Ko Phi Phi Leh Island was swamped by more than 5000 day-trippers, causing huge damage to the beach and surrounding coral reef. The beach nor its surroundings were equipped for this and at the time the island was booming and making money from these day tourists.
The last three years has seen regeneration occur and now Thai authorities are giving the green light to visitors, but with certain conditions.
Up to 375 tourists are allowed to visit at any one time, with only an hour allocated for each visitor. Swimming is banned and boats must dock at a specially constructed location away from the coral reefs. No speedboats will be allowed into the bay either.
Yuthasak Supasorn, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told Reuters that the island has been slowly healing over the last three years. The sharks have come back, coral reefs are regrowing, and the water is clear again. These things show that nature will heal if we give it time, and we have to work to keep it that way too.”
Thailand relies heavily on the tourism industry, which has been hit hard by Covid-19. Tourism accounted for some 20 per cent of the economy before the pandemic.
