Take me back to the beach! The beautiful Thai bay made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio's famous movie reopens after a three-year coral rejuvenation project

One of Thailand's most famous tourist attractions, Maya Bay, is finally reopening after being closed to the public for over three years.

The incredible bay, made famous in 2000 by Leonardo DiCaprio's The Beach, with spectacular cliffs, white sandy beaches, and deep blue water, will reopen to tourists on January 1, 2022, according to a statement from Thailand's National Parks Department.

It happened three and a half years after the bay was closed to the public when the Thai authorities made a desperate attempt to save the bay's coral reefs.

The corals have been nearly wiped out by a steady stream of tourists visiting the island on speedboats for years, but the closure has allowed the reefs to bloom again.

8 PHOTOS

1. One of Thailand's most famous tourist attractions, Maya Bay, is finally about to reopen after being closed to the public for over three years (pictured: Phi Phi Leh Island, home to the world-famous Maya Bay).

2. The bay (pictured) is due to reopen on New Year's Day, three and a half years after it was closed to the public when Thai authorities made a desperate attempt to save the bay's coral reefs.

3. It will open on January 1, 2022, after being closed to the public in June 2018 to restore destroyed coral reefs. The corals have been virtually destroyed by a constant stream of tourists arriving by speedboats for many years.

4. Taken and released on November 14, 2021, by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants of Thailand (DNP), this promotional photo shows Warawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, planting a tree next to DNP officials visiting Koh Phi Phi Maya Bay ahead of reopening in January 2022 after years of closure to allow the area to recover from the damage caused by mass tourism.

5. Tourism in Maya Bay has flourished since the release of the 2000 film The Beach, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Leonardo DiCaprio (pictured).

6. Officials from Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation visited Maya Bay this weekend ahead of its reopening in January 2022, after years of closure, to give the area a chance to recover from the damage caused by mass tourism.

7. In 2018, the bay received an average of about 5,000 visitors a day, but years of speedboat travel and a constant influx of tourists have taken a toll on sensitive underwater ecosystems (pictured: hordes of tourists on Maya Bay Beach in May 2018, shortly before closing).

8. Maya Bay - a stunningly beautiful bay, protected on three sides by 100-meter cliffs and offering several white sandy beaches. The beach was known for its abundance of tropical fish and extensive coral reefs before mass tourism destroyed marine life.