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Thailand will soon [close / closed] one of its world famous beaches in an effort to reverse the damage done to its coral by [amass / mass] tourism. The beach is in Maya Bay on the tiny island [from / of] Koh Phi Phi Leh. It garnered worldwide attention after it featured [heavy / heavily] in the Leonardo DiCaprio blockbuster movie The Beach. The film put the Maya Bay beach on the [bucket / pail] lists of millions of travellers worldwide. The result has been an [influx / outflow] of up to 5,000 sun worshippers a day to its emerald [shores / shares] . They arrive on hundreds of boats, which have caused [irreversible / irreversibly] damage to the bay's coral. Officials say that [most / most] of the coral in the bay has died. The beach will close between June and September to let the coral [recover / recovery] .

Experts [predict / prediction] that almost 80 per cent of Thailand's coral reefs have been [destruction / destroyed] , and that once pristine beaches have been damaged by tourism. The deputy dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Bangkok's Kasetsart University is an outspoken [critical / critic] of the level of tourism Thailand's coastline has to [endure / endurance] . He said the biggest [culprits / culpable] were beachfront hotels, boat anchors crashing into and breaking the coral, and plastic [waste / wastes] being dumped in the sea. He believes the "ideal solution" is for Maya Bay to be closed [permanent / permanently] . He said: "While it's a very pretty bay, [visiting / visited] it with a flotilla of boats and hordes of other tourists rather [destruct / detract] from the [magic / magical] ." He welcomed the temporary closure.