Thailand will close one of its beaches to try and protect its coral from tourism. The beach is on the island of Koh Phi Phi Leh. It was in the blockbuster movie 'The Beach'. Millions of tourists put it on their bucket lists and up to 5,000 a day visit its shores. They arrive on hundreds of boats. These cause irreversible damage to the bay's coral. Most of the coral has died. The beach will close between June and September to let the coral recover.
Experts say that 80 per cent of Thailand's coral reefs have been destroyed. Many beaches have been damaged by tourism. A marine expert criticized the tourism. He said the biggest problems were beachfront hotels, boat anchors breaking the coral, and plastic waste in the sea. He believes the "ideal solution" is to close the beach permanently. He said: "While it's a very pretty bay...a flotilla of boats and hordes of...tourists rather detract from the magic."