- Daily visitors to be limited to 3,325
- Currently visited by 5,000 a day
The Thai government has banned holidaymakers from staying overnight on the Similan islands in a bid to tackle environmental problems caused by mass tourism.
The number of daily visitors to the tropical archipelago will also be limited to 3,325 from January 1, 2019, while boats with a capacity of more than 100 will be banned.
Located some 50 miles northwest of Phuket, the 11-island Similan archipelago sits in the protected Mu Koh National Park. It is visited by 5,000 tourists a day, who come to swim its coral reefs.
The moratorium came into force on Tuesday and covers all overnight stays except those operated by licensed deep-sea diving companies.
