The Thai government has taken a hard-line against mass tourism threatening coastal eco-systems by placing a moratorium on overnight stays on the Similan islands and limiting the number of daily visitors to the 11-island archipelago.
The moratorium came into effect in October and includes all overnight stays except those operated by licensed deep-sea diving companies. As of 1 January 2019, the number of daily visitors will be limited to 3 325 and boats with a capacity of more than 100 will be banned.
Located some 50 miles northwest of Phuket, the Similan archipelago sits in the protected Mu Koh National Park. In recent years the once-pristine beaches and coral reefs have begun to show signs of degradation as a direct result of the approximately 5 000 tourists who descend on the islands each day)
This is the second time in less than a year that the Thai government has placed restrictions on mass tourism to protect its natural resources. In June, Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi – made famous by the blockbuster The Beach – was closed indefinitely.
The bay has lost much of its marine life and an estimated 80% of its coral, due to harm caused by snorkellers, divers, boats, anchors and sunscreen-covered swimmers.