Though the rainy season has officially started in some parts of the country, it appeared we were in luck when rain clouds drifted off Phuket. The Sun was shining and the sky was clear when we arrived at Visit Panwa Pier, where a fleet of speedboats and catamarans were cruising the water to pick up passengers. The tour operator Love Andaman offers a check-in area with breakfast and beverages and a team of passionate guides give a safety briefing.
Reaching Phi Phi Leh by speedboat takes around 45 minutes, and the main pier is now located in Loh Sama Bay, accommodating a maximum of 4,100 tourists per day. To preserve coral reefs, a top-quality plastic-based pier, bridge and 500m-long walkway have been made to enable traffic flow to Maya Bay. This is the outcome of changes in tourism management following many years of overtourism.
Focusing on one-day trips to Koh Phai, Koh Phi Phi Don and Maya Bay, tour operators are required to use the QueQ application to register e-tickets in advance and visitors are allowed to stay on the island for an hour. Peering out of our boat, I spotted a fleet of speedboats jostling for position as well as a swarm of people on a bridge. I was unable to see any difference in the volume of visitors compared to my previous visit in 2018, which was the same year when Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park temporary closed Maya Bay to restore its ecosystem and cut the number of tourists to 2,000 per day.
The national park decided to permanently cl.
