A couple of weeks back I wrote about how a beautiful Thai island was being closed to save it from being destroyed by tourists.
It turns out that three more Thai islands are being closed due to “excessive tourism” which was reported by Travel + Leisure.
The Thai government is hoping to save the white sand beaches and endangered coral reefs. The islands of Koh Khai Nok, Koh Khai Nui, and Koh Khai Nai have now been closed to all visitors.
Beaches are being over-crowded. Beaches which can comfortably host 70 people can have up to 1,000 at a time visiting! Add in chairs, umbrellas and food stalls, which are destroying the sand. 80% of the coral reefs have also been destroyed due to boat anchors, swimmers and snorkelers.
Maybe Thailand should impose some sort of fee/ permit to visit the islands plus limit the amount which are issued at a time. That could be a way to keep the number of people visiting at an acceptable level plus also keep the islands from being totally off-limits.
Find out more from T+L here.
With 80% of the reef destroyed the total ban is clearly overdue. It just shows again why we can’t have nice things.
I wish people would realize the damage they do to reefs by just touching them (much less dropping an anchor or standing on them).
Travel writers should think about the effect they are having when they promote visiting spots that can’t handle the load.
Sean- Thanks for the info. We were in Phuket in 2008 and we loved the island. I could only imagine how much it’s changed over the years.
I was just in Thailand last week. We visited Phuket (Karon, Pa Tong)- Pa Tong city and Pa Tong beach, absolutely disgusting. Tourists have ruined it. Sad. Karon area is much more beautiful, the beach and the city- area.
We also visited Phi Phi island which was beautiful but we only visited the northern part, Holiday Inn Resort. Very secluded from the “party island” area. I would gladly return./