Comino visitor cap should be cut by half - Momentum

The Comino visitor cap should be halved to 2,000 visitors at any one time, with 1,000 of those places reserved for the Maltese, Momentum said on Tuesday.

Basing itself on 'reports from people visiting Comino showing a packed Blue Lagoon,' the political party said it is clear to environmentalists, citizens and even tourists that the 4,000 visitors per time cap has resulted in way too many people for Comino’s tiny and fragile ecosystem.

"To combat this severe overtourism, Momentum is proposing an improved tourism management strategy. The immediate next step must be to start by halving the cap to 2,000 people at any one time, with 1,000 of those spots reserved exclusively for residents of Malta and Gozo. If that does not work either, then the number needs to be even lower," the party said. 

“If a carrying capacity study was carried out to devise the 4,000 cap, it is clearly flawed. We cannot allow our natural heritage to be degraded to the point where locals do not even dream of visiting Comino,” said Mark Camilleri Gambin, Momentum’s general secretary. “The next step is to halve this cap to ensure we protect our environment while guaranteeing that the people of Malta and Gozo are not pushed aside by mass tourism.”

The party pointed out that destinations suffering from severe overcrowding have successfully implemented strict caps alongside local priority exemptions. Similar measures have already been implemented in places like Venice, Sardinia and Barcelona to deter massive crowds and ensure that locals maintain priority access to their own heritage without competing with foreign tourists.

“Implementing this proposal on Comino is technically straightforward. Locals would simply login with their EID into the Blue Lagoon access management system to unlock a resident-only pool of free QR codes. It is a proven way to balance a thriving tourism sector with the rights of the local community,” Gambin said.