Hugely popular tourist attraction made popular by Hollywood movie to close next month

The beauty of movies being filmed on location rather than on an extravagant state-of-the-art set is that fans can go and see it for themselves and walk in the footsteps of the actors which made them fall in love with the flick.

Which is all well and good, until too many tourists jump on the bandwagon.

And seen as though this is a place which Leonardo DiCaprio helped make famous, you can imagine how many people have flocked there over the years.

Leonardo DiCaprio's starred in the film alongside the likes of Tilda Swinton and Robert Carlyle. (20th Century Fox)

Which is why Thailand's stunning Maya Bay on Phi Phi Islands is shutting up shop next month.

For those few people who haven't watched Danny Boyle's cult classic The Beach - first of all stop what you're doing and stick it on, and secondly, it's the closest thing to paradise most of us have ever seen.

Boasting crystal clear waters, soft white sand an array of exotic sea life, it's easy to tell why Maya Bay is so popular - and the fact that you can recreate the look of awe on DiCaprio and co's face when they first saw it is simply a bonus.

The film, released in 2000, is ultimately what made the beautiful bay so ridiculously popular though.

However, Maya Bay becoming a household name hasn't had the best effect on its environment, as the constant stream of tourists heading there means that it has little chance to recover.

That's why it's going to be shut throughout Thailand's rainy season - from 1 August 1 to 30 September - so that the bay's natural resources and ecosystems can revive themselves.

So if you're coincidentally in the Asian country right now, you ought to go and check it out while you still can.

It's not the first time that Maya Bay has been closed off from visitors, as the Thai Government shut it down for a few years in 2018 to give it a break before it reopened in January 2022.

New rules and regulations were brought in too in the hopes that officials could help keep control of the crowds and better manage how people access the beauty spot.

The upcoming closure also comes off the back of these new guidelines, in a bid to protect the precious coral reefs and aquatic creatures who call the bay home.

Maya Bay is shutting for Thailand's rainy season. (Md Rafayat Haque Khan/ Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Thailand's Tourism Authority (TAT) said: "We want to ensure that future generations can enjoy the pristine beauty of Maya Bay. This temporary closure is a small sacrifice for a greater good.”

Even die-hard DiCaprio fans can't argue with that, can they?

The closure of Maya Bay is also to ensure the safety of visitors throughout the rainy season, when there are strong winds and rough seas - which throws quite a spanner in the works, especially as the water is vital for boat access to the bay.

Tourists have to stump up 400 Thai Baht (£8.60) for the privilege of taking a look around, while it costs 200 Thai Baht (£4.30) for kids to enter.