Tourist hordes threaten Phi Phi island’s main tourist attraction

Photos of hundreds of tourists standing inches away from each other on Maya Bay, the main tourist attraction of Phi Phi island in Krabi province, were shared on social media, raising concerns about preservation of marine and coastal resources and sustainable tourism.

The photos were first posted on Niruth Darid Bannob’s Facebook page on Thursday.

“People say the selling points of Krabi are its serenity and untainted natural beauty. But what many of us are doing goes in an opposite direction.

“If the place is quickly developed, it will not be sustainable. In the end, there will be no visitors and the local people will have to live in the state of spoiled nature.

“Huge tourism revenue cannot buy back nature,” Niruth Darid Bannob wrote. The Facebook user wrote that the photos were taken on Maya Baya on a normal working day.

Asst Prof Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine biology lecturer at Kasetsart University and an established environmental writer, shared the photos on his Facebook page and wrote, “I am crying heavily. This is too much for Maya Bay, situated in Had Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.

“If relevant agencies still refuse to reorganise marine national park management, when is the right time for it? This is stressful.”