The department’s director-general, Tunya Nethithammakul, said too many visitors had trashed Tachai’s ecosystem and the island needed to be closed or it would never recover. Problems include fuel leaking from tour and dive boats, damaged coral and undisposed garbage.
Mr Nethithammakul noted that Koh Tachai is tiny and could only accommodate a couple of hundred visitors on any given day. He said that on some days 2,000 visitors arrived and had contributed to the degradation of the island’s pristine natural environment.
Koh Tachai is one of the Similan Islands and is around 60kms from the coast of Phang Nga Province. It is famed for its brilliant white beaches and excellent offshore diving. Tachai has no tourist accommodation, but some tour operators have been offering trips with overnight stays in tents.
The Similan Islands is one of bountiful excursion destinations for holidaymakers staying in Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga or Khao Lak. When travelling to this area of Thailand it pays to book your travel tickets with 12GO ASIA to avoid any unforeseen problems.
Paradise Thai island visitor ban due to adverse effect of mass tourism
News in Asia
Thailand’s national parks operator has barred tourists from an Andaman Sea island known locally as the Thai Maldives. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has placed Koh Tachai off limits to visitors for an unlimited time period.