Thailand is trying to save this island by banning tourists
It's well documented that tourists ruin everything — even just by showing up.
Koh Tachai, an island off the coast of southern Thailand, will close indefinitely due to excessive tourism, the government announced.
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The island's shoreline, beaches and coral reef will be deemed off-limits to all visitors, starting Oct. 15, reported the Bangkok Post. And all of Thailand's marine national parks close on Monday and remain closed through Oct. 15 for monsoon season — so technically, the park is already closed.
"If it's not closed now, we'll lose Koh Tachai permanently."
Tourists visiting Thailand are cautioned to look out for tour operators selling fake trips to Koh Tachai.
The closure is meant to allow Koh Tachai, part of Thailand's Similan National Park, to recover without being disturbed by tourists. It is part of a greater plan for resource management throughout the Andaman Sea.
"A beach on the island can hold up to 70 people," Thon Thamrongnawasawat, the deputy dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University, told Bangkok Post. "But sometimes the number of tourists was well over 1,000 on the beach.
"If it's not closed now, we'll lose Koh Tachai permanently."
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Cailey studied journalism at SUNY Purchase and french cinema & literature at Paris IV Sorbonne. She is a cynical optimist and Talking Heads karaoke enthusiast. Drop her a line @misscaileyanne
