Deckchairs returned to the Blue Lagoon jetty on Monday morning, however, an activist protest over the weekend seems to have had some impact, with space left for people to lay towels down on the sand. 

On Saturday, activists from Moviment Graffitti arrived on Comino and dismantled the empty deckchairs that had already been set up on every corner of the bay, despite the distinct lack of beach-goers on the island. 

The action has led to calls for visitor numbers to be capped on the island, a Natura 2000 site. 

In protest at deckchair operators encroaching on public land, the activists folded up the empty deck chairs and proceeded to lay out their own towels on the jetty and the sandy beach and spent the day enjoying the seafront. 

Visiting Blue Lagoon again on Monday morning, Times of Malta observed that the deckchairs had returned to much of the bay once again, with a small patch on the sandy bay left clear for visitors who did not wish to pay for deck chairs in order to enjoy the beach. 

By 9 am, Blue Lagoon had already filled up with visitors and a number of deck chairs appeared to be occupied, however, lines of empty deck chairs with no indication of personal possessions were also seen already set up, taking up space on the concrete jetty as well as on the second sandy inlet right around the corner. 

Arrivals who did not wish to splurge on the €12.50 it costs to rent a deck chair were also able to lay down their towels on the sandy bay, wedged in between the rows of chairs and umbrellas. 

During Saturday’s protest, Graffiti activist Andre Callus said that years of inaction from the authorities had led to Blue Lagoon becoming a defacto private lido and had been taken over by commercial interests. 

The activist group has also written to five ministers demanding action to limit what they call is an “ecological disaster” currently unfolding in Comino, namely that the presence of deckchairs, umbrellas and kiosks should be limited and only allowed to operate with permits, increase patrolling of the island, abolish loud music and launch a policy document for Comino which included a carrying capacity for people on the island. 

Times of Malta has also spoken to tourists visiting Comino who said they were disappointed by the state of the island, finding it too overcrowded, loud and noisy. 

In response to the state of Blue Lagoon on Monday, a spokesperson for Moviment Graffitti said that it is the authorities who should be taking action to prevent this, not only against the encroachment of deckchairs but against the entire web of commercial interest that has taken over Blue Lagoon, including kiosks and boats. 

“Minister Clayton Bartolo has again failed to control the operators for yet another summer. In conformity to the public domain act, the public access and enjoyment of the bay and the foreshore should be left unencumbered,” the spokesperson said. “This will necessarily mean, not only renting out deckchairs on request only but also limiting the number of deckchairs that can be rented out.”

MP proposes capping visitors 

In response to Graffitti’s action on Saturday, Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar proposed capping the number of people who are able to visit Blue Lagoon in an attempt to safeguard against over-tourism. 

Speaking to Times of Malta, Cutajar said that some 1,200 people had responded to her poll on Instagram and that 80 per cent agreed that there should be a cap on visitors to Comino. 

“I believe that a solution has to be found on this deckchairs issue. We cannot keep hearing the same old story year after year,” she said. 

“The foreshore is public, it's an old legal principle that has been around since the Roman times. There is also the Public Domain Act which further clarifies and crystalises this important point. It is crucial now that the law is enforced.”

The question she posed on capping, she continued, goes beyond the question of access to the shore and seeks to find a way to safeguard the sensitive ecology of Comino. 

“Comino is a Natura 2000 site and we need to preserve it to the best of our ability. I believe this would also enhance the experience of visitors, who will find it more beautiful and memorable,” she said. 

“Countries far larger than Malta have been using a capping system for some time. Comino should also become a plastic-free island.” 

In 2018, Thailand closed the idyllic Maya Bay, made popular by the 2000 Leonardo Di Caprio film The Beach, until last year due to over-tourism having contributed to 50 per cent of the coral loss in its waters. It reopened in April with a cap of 300 visitors per hour between the hours of 10am and 4pm, with snorkelling, swimming and docking boats currently banned from the bay. 

The Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve in Waikiki, Hawaii, introduced similar restrictions, only allowing up to 1,000 visitors per day between Wednesdays and Sundays. 

Inaction merits resignation - Jason Micallef

Meanwhile, Valletta Cultural Agency chair Jason Micallef said that authorities repeated inaction on encroachment in Comino merited resignations. 

“What has been happening on the shores of Comino is barefaced abuse of its natural beauty, even as it is awarded the highest environmental protection and is a Natura 2000 site,” he said in a Facebook post. 

“This is an abuse of the people’s sacred right to enjoy the sea in peace and relax on Comino’s unique shoreline. Like the majority of people, I am disgusted by the lack of action from the concerned authorities and their leaders.” 

He added that what Graffitti activists had accomplished should shame the authorities and their blatant inaction. 

“You should be ashamed and you know who you are,” Micallef continued. 

“You have failed the Government that appointed you to do the job and ultimately you have failed the population of Malta and Gozo. This lack of action merits your resignation.” 

Previously, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo promised that authorities would crack down on deck chair abuse in Blue Lagoon, however concrete action to address the matter has yet to be forthcoming. 

Last year, a video by Times of Malta exposing the problem of encroachment in Blue Lagoon went viral and has been seen 9.7 million times to date.