Activist Group Moviment Graffitti stated that the Government’s plan of a fixed number pre-booked slots for entry at the Blue Lagoon is “wrought with loopholes and purposefully misses the main culprits of Comino’s overexploitation – large tourist vessels.”

In a statement on Wednesday, the activists said that “when, three years ago, Moviment Graffitti descended onto Blue Lagoon with a direct action, we made a concrete demand: Totally prohibit large tourist ferries from Comino.”

Graffitti insisted that “this action would target large commercial operators, such as Zammit Tabona’s Captain Morgan operations, which actively ensnare tourists from the Sliema Ferries and Bu?ibba and unload them onto the Blue Lagoon in their thousands every day. Many of these tourists may not even have intended to visit the Blue Lagoon at all in the first place. Banning the operation of these vessels would have eliminated the need for a cap.”

The group reiterated its concern that “imposing a cap risks it being capitalised by commercial operators at the cost of residents of the Maltese Islands who wish to travel to Comino. It is also amply clear that the proposed cap will likely translate to business-as-usual for these large vessel operators, continuing to offload hundreds of tourists to Blue Lagoon three times a day, each with their impacts of waste generation, pollution, noise, and trampling.”

Graffitti added that “more worrying still is the continued resistance by the government to publish Comino’s carrying capacity study. The entirety of Comino is a nature reserve, but government’s intentions do not seem to genuinely respect this since the cap they are proposing applies solely to the Blue Lagoon. Therefore, they are pushing tourist operators to increase their presence in other parts of the island at the detriment of the environment and of locals’ Comino experience.”

It warned that “this is compounded by the recent approval by the Planning Authority of the redevelopment of the Comino Hotel, including the drastic increase of gross floor area and commercial activity at Santa Marija Bay, with the proposal of a jetty and restaurant.”

Moreover, Graffitti noted that Blue Lagoon’s pre-booking system includes the provision for 4,000 people to be at the Blue Lagoon between 8pm and 10pm every day. “Allowing this activity on a nature reserve beyond sunset, given the sensitivity of the site, does not bode well for the integrity of Comino’s biodiversity.”

Moviment Graffitti concluded by saying that the, “Government’s weak hand in the face of big business and close ties with certain commercial entities on Comino is evident for all to see. Minister Ian Borg is selling our common heritage to business empires and taking the public for a ride.”

Photo: Moviment Graffitti

Permalink: Comino: Pre-booking plan is wrought with loopholes – Graffitti