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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Julie Delahaye

Iconic bay from Leonardo DiCaprio film The Beach reopens for first time since 2018

Leonardo DiCaprio fans can once again visit the iconic beach from hit film The Beach.

Thailand's iconic Maya Bay on the Koh Phi Phi Leh island was closed to tourists back in 2018 after overtourism was taking its toll on the island's ecosystems.

The beach was originally closed from June to September - during Thailand's monsoon season - in order to give its reefs time to recover, but authorities subsequently decided to close it until 2021 to give the environment more time to recover.

Maya Bay, on Thailand's Koh Phi Phi Leh island, had long drawn in tourists thanks to its cult status and spectacular white sands and crystalline waters.

A strong contender for Thailand's most beautiful places to visit, the beach is only accessible by boat from nearby Phuket or Krabi.

The reopening of the bay comes following a new infrastructure around the bay, which was revealed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand last year.

This includes a new jetty at Loh Samah Bay on the opposite side of the island, which must be used by boats taking tourists to visit the iconic bay. This is to ensure the recovery of coral reefs in the area can continue.

The number of daily visitors will also be controlled to protect the environment, and there will be designated swimming areas.

The bay became iconic after it was the main filming location for hit film The Beach (20th Century Fox USE)

Officials have also planted a new coral reef area as well as more trees in a bid to curb shore erosion.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-Archa told CNN : "Maya Bay has been continuously receiving interest from tourists around the world. But this has also caused (the natural area) to deteriorate, especially the corals.

"After shutting down Maya Bay to revive and restore it, up until the present, it has returned to a good condition."

Tourists visit Maya bay after Thailand reopened its world-famous beach (REUTERS)

Rules for Thailand holidays changed in December as the country is suspended quarantine-free visits for the majority of foreign travellers, due to concerns over the Omicron variant.

Thai authorities have temporarily suspended a 'Test and Go' scheme which allowed fully vaccinated travellers - including Brits - to visit without quarantine.

Anyone who had been pre-approved on the scheme will still be able to travel without quarantine, but any new visitors planning to visit who haven't been approved already will need to undergo mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the country.

However the ongoing Phuket Sandbox scheme continues as usual, under which fully vaccinated travellers can visit Phuket for holidays although they cannot travel on to other parts of Thailand.

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