Be the first to comment!Comino: Minister Ian Borg’s promises on overcrowding remain unfulfilled – Graffitti
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“Tourism Minister Ian Borg promised earlier this year significant action to reduce commercial activity and overcrowding in the Comino nature reserve, specifically at the Blue Lagoon. So far, there are no signs that any of these promises will be fulfilled by this summer,” said Moviment Graffitti
In a statement, the organisation noted that the recently introduced “so-called cap of 12,000 visitors per day has been – just as we had immediately warned – ineffective, as it fails to address the real problem in the Blue Lagoon: the unbridled commercial activity.”
It said that “this includes a high density of businesses operating in the bay, such as over a dozen kiosks and shops offering water-based activities for tourists.”
Graffitti argued that “most significantly, the system does not curb the practice of large boats recruiting mass tourism from coastal localities such as Bugibba and Sliema, and funnelling it into the tiny and delicate environment of the Blue Lagoon.”
The result of this inaction is that already, in May and June, the Blue Lagoon and its surroundings are packed with thousands of tourists and unsustainable commercial operations – causing serious harm to the area’s ecology and undermining the public’s enjoyment of this place, stated Graffitti.
It went on to say that “the Government’s reluctance to regulate private business activity in order to safeguard the common good is also evident in its decision to keep under wraps the carrying-capacity study on Comino, which was finalised years ago but has never been published.”
Moviment Graffitti reiterated that “any long-term, sustainable, and fair solution for Comino must include the prohibition of large mass tourism boats from this nature reserve. This is necessary to preserve its natural environment and reclaim this space from the grip of greedy business interests.”
It asked, “will Minister Ian Borg be willing to stop greed and do the right thing – for the people, and for the environment?
File photo: Gozo News/Alain Salvary
