This photo taken on April 9, 2018 shows a crowd of tourists on the Maya Bay beach, on the southern Thai island of Koh Phi Phi.  
Across the region, Southeast Asia's once-pristine beaches are reeling from decades of unchecked tourism as governments scramble to confront trash-filled waters and environmental degradation without puncturing a key economic driver. / AFP PHOTO / Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / TO GO WITH AFP STORY "THAILAND-INDONESIA-PHILIPPINES-TOURISM-ENVIRONMENT" by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA with Joe FREEMAN        (Photo credit should read LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP/Getty Images)
CNN  — 

It’s 9 a.m. on a May morning in Thailand’s Maya Bay in the Andaman Sea, a destination made famous by “The Beach” movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

But instead of the pristine, empty shores seen in the film directed by Danny Boyle, the scene is far more chaotic. Selfie-taking tourists line the sand, which is crammed full with speed boats.

Visitor numbers multiply by the minute as boats pour in an out of the bay, dropping off more bodies to sunbathe and snorkel.

But as of June 1, the bucket list Thailand hotspot is blocking its shores to visitors. Well, temporarily.

Part of the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, Maya Bay will be closed from June 1 to September 30, 2018 on the orders of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) as part of a four-month rejuvenation program.

Maya Bay, on Ko Phi Phi Leh island, will be closed to tourists for four months.

According to a statement issued by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), boats will not be allowed to enter the bay in front of the beach or drop anchor at Loh Samah Bay, both part of the tiny Ko Phi Phi Leh island.

Travelers can instead see the bay between the two cliffs that form a natural entrance to the lagoon, under the strict supervision of the DNP.

“During the four-month period, the DNP will undertake a coastal and marine environment quality evaluation study on the condition of reef and beach resources, environmental control and tourism management,” says the TAT’s statement.

“This is to properly determine measures for environmental sustainability of Maya Bay during future off-tourist seasons.”

Tourists snorkel in the water near Maya Bay.

First Boracay, now Maya Bay

Thailand does close national parks annually for a variety of reasons, from extreme weather to ecological recovery, but this is the first time Maya Bay has been shut – though environmentalists have been pushing the move for years.

Maya Bay is part of Thailand’s Krabi province and close to Phi Phi Don, a popular beach holiday destination. Data released by the DNP suggests that the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park could see as many as 2.5 million visitors in 2018, a year-on-year rise of half a million.

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BORACAY, PHILIPPINES:  TO GO WITH STORY "PHILIPPINES-TOURISM-ENVIRONMENT-BORACAY" A man on a surfboard sells fresh coconut juice to people swimming in the waters off the central Philippine resort island of Boracay, 11 June 2005. Despite the image of the island of pristine beaches and crystal-clear waters that attracts thousands of tourists, Boracay faces a worsening garbage problem, just one of several dilemmas that the island must contend with as more and more people flock to its beaches.    AFP PHOTO/Joel NITO  (Photo credit should read JOEL NITO/AFP/Getty Images)
Philippines closes 'cesspool' tourist island
01:00 - Source: CNN

The move to close Maya Bay follows on the heels of the Philippines government’s decision to close the popular tourist destination of Boracay for six months, beginning April 26, over concerns the island’s famous beaches and clear blue waters have been transformed into a “cesspool” due to sustained environmental damage.

Unlike tiny Maya Bay, which has no hotels or inhabitants, Boracay is home to as many as 17,000 people, many of whom are directly engaged in the tourism industry.