If you were planning on visiting Koh Tachai anytime soon... well, don't plan on it anymore.
The small Thai island is closing down indefinitely so that its beaches and reefs -- home to some of the best diving in the world -- can recover from the effects of too much tourism, The Bangkok Post reports.
Officials are hoping to save the island from becoming a victim of its own popularity: Beaches meant to hold 70 people at a time have regularly been hosting more than 1,000, Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a dean at Bangkok's Kasetsart University, told the Post.
"This caused the island to quickly deteriorate," he said. "If it's not closed now, we'll lose Koh Tachai permanently."
And this is NOT a place we'd want to lose:
Many Thai islands are closed from mid-May through mid-October, during monsoon season. But even after the monsoons pass, Koh Tachai won't open up again this year.
Environmental impact from tourism is a common concern in this part of the world: In Thailand's Phi Phi islands, which were featured in the 2000 Leonardo DiCaprio film "The Beach," tourism quickly boomed to 10 tons of trash produced daily and coral reefs sustained damage from boats and snorkelers -- a "critical" situation that prompted the island to reach out to the Thai government last year for help.
Travel blogger Nomadic Matt suggests the remedy is being a responsible tourist yourself and choosing your destinations with help from resources like the Responsible Travel Report and National Geographic's sustainable travel blog.
This way, the world will have its most beautiful islands left for all to enjoy.