Asia’s paradise islands face closure as they struggle to balance booming tourism with preservation

Before it hit the Hollywood big screen, the secluded white sands and crystal blue waters of Thailand’s Maya Bay were feted as a magical, unspoiled getaway for weary travellers to relax and rejuvenate.

But the silent beauty of the once pristine bay on the island of Koh Phi Phi Leh in the Andaman Sea ended when it featured in the 1999 Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach.

Now groaning under the burden of an incessant average flow of 200 boats and 4,000 pleasure-seekers a day, Maya Bay will be closed to the public for four months from June, to allow its battered coral reefs and sea life to recover.

It is one of a growing number of the globe’s most stunning beaches that face temporary closure this summer…

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