Maya Bay reopens after two months of rehabilitation

BANGKOK: On Monday (Sept 30), national park staff repaired Loh Samah Bay pier, the island’s main access point for tourists visiting Maya Bay.

Marine Department staff also inspected life-saving equipment, fire extinguishers and communication devices on tourist boats, and checked boat staffs’ certificates at Pak Klong Jilad pier.

Maya Bay saw more than 1.6 million visitors who paid a total 549.87 million baht in entrance fees last season, from October 2023 to July 22 this year.

The national park entrance fee for foreign tourists is 400 baht, while Thais pay 40 baht. The fee covers entry to all 388sq km of Had Nopparat Thara-Ko Phi Phi National Park.

Park revenues are benefitting from a rise in foreign visitors each year since the Covid-19 pandemic.

In July alone this year, the park collected 34.75 million baht from 96,236 mainly foreign tourists, compared to 23 million baht from 110,436 tourists in the same period last year. Though the number of tourists has dropped, the revenue has risen due to the higher number of foreign visitors and more efficient fee collection.

Maya Bay’s stunning scenery of limestone karsts rising from vivid coral seas was made famous by “The Beach” (2000), starring Leonardo Dicaprio. - The Nation/ANN