Thread: Concern rises as photos of jam packed Maya Bay with influx of Chinese tourists expose

The influx of Chinese tourists to Maya Bay, the main tourist attraction of Phi Phi archipelago in the Andaman Sea, and the scene of the Hollywood film "The Beach" in 1999 is now causing serious concern of its natural charm and beauty among environmentalists and Thai people if no preservation action is taken by authorities.

Concern rises after photos of the jam packed beach with thousands of tourists, mostly Chinese, were posted on the Facebook page of Niruth Darid Bannob on Thursday.

The Facebook user wrote “we heard powerful people in Krabi said the selling points of Krabi are its serenity and untainted natural beauty. But what they are doing or trying to is totally opposite”

“Why should they want it to grow so fast. It is not sustainable..visitors just come and go and it is the locals who have to live with the spoilt nature. Immense revenues from tourism could never help to buy back the nature.”.

The posting of photos of the jam packed beach on Maya went viral on the social network with many questioning the marine park authorities for allowing so many tourists to the island even it was a normal working day.

One said on any given day at any time there will be 30 or more speedboats and longtail boats on the beach, with large ferry boats carrying snorkelers and sightseers moored in deeper water.

But what appeared on the beach was different, there was even no room to walk on the beach.

A marine biology expert and member of the National Reform Council assistant professor Thon Thamrongnawasawat told Daily News that he was surprised to see so many tourist boats mooring on the beach despite the fact permission to the beach needed to be sought first from the park chief.

He questioned if park officials had ever inspected the beach and how these boats anchored and whether coral reef had been damaged by these boats, in addition to garbages and uncleanliness.

He also asked if these tourists visit the island using their own tour companies, their guides and their buses, “so what the country will earn from tourism boom that will bring in painful consequence in the future.

Maya Bay is situated in Had Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.

Maya Bay has become the main tourist attraction of Phi Phi since The Beach was filmed here in 1999. It was always very popular before the film but now people around the world who haven’t even heard of Phi Phi have certainly heard of Maya Bay.

The best time to visit Maya Bay is between November and April during the high season when seas are calm and access to the bay is easy. Rough seas from May to October may hinder access but rarely deny entry.

Concern rises as photos of jam packed Maya Bay with influx of Chinese tourists exposed - Thai PBS English News

“It is not sustainable..visitors just come and go and it is the locals who have to live with the spoilt nature.”

He questioned if park officials had ever inspected the beach and how these boats anchored and whether coral reef had been damaged by these boats, in addition to garbages and uncleanliness.

Right...the average Thai seems to be so concerned about the environment that they think nothing of tossing trash anywhere they please. Why should Thais expect visitors to behave differently?

Another amazing aspect of Thailand - how the people can consider themselves to be so clean because they ap nam (bathe) multiple times per day and sweep their houses constantly, yet they treat their environment like it's a vast garbage dump to be abused and exploited at their will.

As long as the Thai/Chinese tour organisers want to make money, the complete and utter ruination of their tourist environmemt is assured.

Thai are just greedy little bastards who don't give a fuck about anything very much except making money. They'll fuck up anything and everything because they are simply too retarded to understand that if they destroy the attraction no one will come. As long as they can make money today, tomorrow can go fuck itself.

Christ, now the most over visited, fucked up island in the whole country is all the fault of the Chinese.

Does the hypocrisy know no bounds?

The best time to visit Maya Bay is between November and April during the high season

Thai journalists really aren't the 'think outside the box' types are they.

This moron has typed up this whole story and concluded that.

Imagine Watergate in Bangkok.

'You have recordings of..what?'

'Bullshit...too complicated...we're running with the story about the ploughing ceremony'

Maya Bay is situated in Had Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park

Time to start collecting that 400 baht national park entry fee.

I fail to see any photos of jam that supposed had Maya Bay packed with tourists.

What time of the year are they visiting, high or low tourist season?
If it is low season, so what.
The movie the beach , if that did not put them off coming, then they are fearless.
The movie portrayed Thailand as very dangerous, especially the train journey to Surrathani.

Thai/Chinese

neither of these two asian peoples care a jot about the environment, or the beauty or local inhabitants of the places they visit.

the fact that they have visited is all, even if it is for just 5 minutes.


tourism for them is a box ticking exercise, to take a photo for facebook and fuck off to the next venue. it is tourism for the uneducated, the unsophisticated and the unappreciative. their only interest is broadcasting their visit to the cyber world, and so long as they are never more than 10 paces from some air-con and a stall selling deep fried sea food and kitsch souvenirs they will keep on coming.

these heathen drones should never be allowed outside their awful hometowns.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

As long as the Thai/Chinese tour organisers want to make money, the complete and utter ruination of their tourist environmemt is assured.

Thai are just greedy little bastards who don't give a fuck about anything very much except making money. They'll fuck up anything and everything because they are simply too retarded to understand that if they destroy the attraction no one will come. As long as they can make money today, tomorrow can go fuck itself.

Chinese same same.

Just out the Airport at present, the airport is rammed full of chinese.

The Thais are lucky they have the chinese tourists or it would be totally ferked.

Originally Posted by taxexile

tourism for them is a box ticking exercise, to take a photo for facebook and fuck off to the next venue. it is tourism for the uneducated, the unsophisticated and the unappreciative. their only interest is broadcasting their visit to the cyber world, and so long as they are never more than 10 paces from some air-con and a stall selling deep fried sea food and kitsch souvenirs they will keep on coming.

these heathen drones should never be allowed outside their awful hometowns.

Damn well said Tax. The Ŵelsh should be quarantined.

Originally Posted by wasabi

The movie the beach , if that did not put them off coming, then they are fearless.
The movie portrayed Thailand as very dangerous, especially the train journey to Surrathani.

That's why they use tour buses.

Reform Council to Consider Capping Tourist Numbers at Andaman Marine Parks

PHUKET: Limiting the number of tourists who are allowed to visit Andaman marine parks will be among issues discussed over the next four days by the National Reform Council, says NRC member and environmental activist Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat.



An outcry on social media over the past week has triggered alarm at the deterioration of Thailand's beaches and coral reefs in national parks because of mass tourism.

Dr Thon, a marine biologist and writer, is leading a campaign to have the number of tourists capped at Phi Phi and other island destinations near coral reefs off Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi.

The Similan Islands already has a limit on the number of visitors but it's not strictly enforced.

As the cost of a ticket to Phi Phi and other marine parks along the Andaman coast includes a 200-300 baht park entry fee, questions are being asked about what happens to that money.

Rapid commercialisation of Phi Phi has led to Dr Thon describing it as a ''slum.'' Maya Bay nearby, made famous in the film 'The Beach,' is overrun by thousands of tourists in scores of speedboats every day.

Speedboats at Kai island - a day-trip destination being called ''umbrella island'' - and at other destinations often anchor on coral.

Capping the number of tourists permitted to visit natural attractions in the Andaman region would seriously damage businesses that have sprung up to cater for the increasing number of visitors - if the limits were strictly enforced.

The Similan islands are due to close until next high season from May 15.

Reform Council to Consider Capping Tourist Numbers at Andaman Marine Parks - Phuket Wan

Oh, the agony of it all!

Do we protect the environment and preserve its beauty or do we rip the guts out of it so every Somchai can gouge as much as he can until the whole thing is utterly fucked?

No fucking prizes for guessing which way they'll go.

Although it was amusing to read the query as to the whereabouts of all those park admission fees collected daily from the teeming masses. Sometimes, even for this country they really do take the piss.

If I had not seen the picture, I would not have believed this. Thats a horrible lot of people on that beach.
My last visit to that place must have been 15 or 20 years ago... I will pamper the memory.

The Thais just don't quite get it; with the collapse of the Ruble, the only thing that's keeping their tourist numbers from collapsing are Chinese tourists (and deliberate lying by the TAT). Granted the Chinese are not the most lucrative tourists, but they do spend money here, fill hotel rooms and prop up numbers.

These Thais complaining about Chinese tourist articles are becoming a several times a week event, wonder if the Chinese media is taking notice? Thailand's just lucky that relations between China and Vietnam are strained now, or they would live to regret their whining.

Give them some break too, for most it's their first trip out of China, don't expect them to be sophisticated.

Spotted this article while news surfing this morning. Russians are in the headline, but there are some things said about Chinese tourists within the article that aren't exactly complimentary.

Thailand: Where are the Russian tourists?

eTN Global Travel Industry News
March 23, 2015

With Thai Airways having already cancelled direct flights to Moscow and analysts expecting 100,000 fewer Russians to Pattaya and secondary Thailand destinations, the future is looking challenging.

A crisis created by dramatic decrease in crude oil prices has plunged the Ruble into a 40% drop in value and still heading south. Many Russians are offloading recently purchased condos and that is placing an additional worry and strain on the area at this time.

Hotels and tourism businesses hoping to offset occupancy losses of upwards of 80% must avoid the possible terminal decision to fill beds with low spending Chinese tourists.

Bottom end Chinese tourists are lowering the bar and creating a serious situation affecting all other associated tourism. This could bring down the future of Thailand tourism very quickly.

The money spend is not sufficient to recover refurbishment costs and increased maintenance. This leads to serious poor reviews, impacting future bookings due to the pace of the internet highlighting the trend.

Thailand's tourism, like the national airline (TG), needs a wake-up call. There is absolutely no future in double digit growth of bottom end Chinese tourism. It's not a savior, it's a nail in the coffin.

Losses to tourism and property businesses in Pattaya could reach 1 trillion baht spend reduction in Pattaya/Jomtien by May 2016.

Thailand: Where are the Russian tourists? - eTurboNews.com

Originally Posted by Sumocakewalk

The money spend is not sufficient to recover refurbishment costs and increased maintenance. This leads to serious poor reviews, impacting future bookings due to the pace of the internet highlighting the trend.

This article seems more like an editorial than a news story; any revenue is better than an empty room for the night.


Had to go to Immigration last week, noticed many of the new condos in Jomtien now have "for rent" signs by the builder in place. Looks like they're trying to generate some revenue renting the ones they cannot sell. One quite nice building said from 8000 Baht a month.

Hotels and tourism businesses hoping to offset occupancy losses of upwards of 80% must avoid the possible terminal decision to fill beds with low spending Chinese tourists.

Bottom end Chinese tourists are lowering the bar and creating a serious situation affecting all other associated tourism. This could bring down the future of Thailand tourism very quickly.

The money spend is not sufficient to recover refurbishment costs and increased maintenance. This leads to serious poor reviews, impacting future bookings due to the pace of the internet highlighting the trend.

Thailand's tourism, like the national airline (TG), needs a wake-up call. There is absolutely no future in double digit growth of bottom end Chinese tourism. It's not a savior, it's a nail in the coffin.

On reading that I am pleasantly consumed by a wave of warm, joyous and comforting schadenfreude gently washing over me.

Originally Posted by BobR

Originally Posted by Sumocakewalk

The money spend is not sufficient to recover refurbishment costs and increased maintenance. This leads to serious poor reviews, impacting future bookings due to the pace of the internet highlighting the trend.

This article seems more like an editorial than a news story; any revenue is better than an empty room for the night.


Had to go to Immigration last week, noticed many of the new condos in Jomtien now have "for rent" signs by the builder in place. Looks like they're trying to generate some revenue renting the ones they cannot sell. One quite nice building said from 8000 Baht a month.

The author is former GM of large Pattaya monstrosity hotel snd smother in Bangkok. He's also a landlord of several expat style condos in the fiefdom

He knows what he's talking about