Koh Tachai, which is popular with tourists to Phuket, will be out of bounds to visitors from Monday. The island is part of the Similan national park, which normally closes during the monsoon season and which reopens on October 15. Koh Tachai, however, will not reopen when the rest of the park allows visitors again. The shoreline, beaches and coral reef will all be off-limits.
The Bangkok Post said the small island had become overcrowded and that this had degraded the natural resources and environment. Authorities say 14 tour companies had been selling packages to Koh Tachai, meaning that a beach that can only hold up to 70 people would often see crowds of 1,000 and was crowded with food stalls and tour boats.
