Thailand's Maya Bay reopens to tourists under strict rules

The famous white-sand crescent of Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh island reopened to visitors on 1 October 2026 after Thailand's Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park closed it for August and September to let marine life and the shoreline recover from the southwest monsoon and summer tourism. Officials kept strict rules in place: a daily cap of around 4,125 visitors in timed slots, no overnight stays, no feeding of fish, and a ban on swimming inside the bay to protect its slowly regenerating coral reefs that were devastated by over-tourism before the bay was first closed in 2018. Park rangers monitored arrivals via long-tail boats pulling in behind the island rather than through the bay itself, and tour operators from Phuket and Krabi quickly resumed daily excursions. The reopening topped Southeast Asian travel coverage because Maya Bay — made famous by Danny Boyle's 2000 film — remains the region's most-searched beach, and the day's news debated whether the controlled model offers a template for other over-touristed hotspots.