University Students’ Council (KSU) members brought deckchairs and coolers to Castille Square on Saturday morning in protest against Maltese beaches being overly commercialised.

“How come we don’t get to enjoy our cultural heritage,” KSU social policy officer Matthias Azzopardi said as he sat on the Castille steps in swimming trunks and a colourful shirt.

The demonstration focused on maintaining the natural beauty of Malta’s beaches while ensuring that the spaces remain accessible to all, not just those willing to pay to snag a deckchair.

Many beaches across the Maltese islands have become victim to businesses that have taken over their space, Azzopardi said.

“Pack your bag right now and you can go to any beach and see for yourself,” he said, noting that aside from deckchair operators, restaurants and other businesses have also slowly eaten away at the public land.

Focus on Blue Lagoon

However, it is Comino’s Blue Lagoon that has turned into a truly dire situation, Azzopardi said, as tourists arrive by the boatload.

People regularly tell the student body that they refuse to go up to Comino due to over-commercialisation despite wanting to visit the local attraction, he continued.

Asked why the demonstration was happening now, two days after summer ended, Azzopardi said the problem is a yearly one and winter is no excuse to stop protesting it.

“Just because summer is ending, it doesn’t mean our feelings have ended,” he said, refusing to wait till next summer to protest the problem while action can still be taken in the colder months.

"The beach is also ours," one sign read from under a cooler. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The issue of Blue Lagoon’s rampant deckchairs has been under the spotlight for years.

In 2022, activists dismantled deckchairs and umbrellas at the idyllic spot on various occasions. On one occasion, their efforts ended in physical confrontation.

Their protest prompted Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo to pledge fewer deckchairs at the site in future summers. 

In May, Bartolo told parliament that 65 per cent fewer sunbeds and umbrellas would be allowed at the Blue Lagoon, in order to make the space available for the public.

Bartolo has however downplayed the need for a carrying capacity study for the island, arguing earlier this month that the decision to reduce deckchairs automatically meant fewer people were visiting Comino.

The study had been recommended by the government's own environmental regulator, the Environment and Resouces Authority, years back.