Following action by Moviment Graffitti to reclaim the Blue Lagoon in Comino, it said that Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo announced that the operators would no longer be allowed to put deckchairs on the small beach at Blue Lagoon, and that the number of deckchairs elsewhere would be limited.

Moviment Graffitti added that “a few days later, Prime Minister Robert Abela said a balance had been reached. So we decided to go back to Comino to see what this balance looks like in practise.”

It said that “while it’s true that there are no longer deckchairs on the beach, vendors are still putting deckchairs out before tourists arrive, both on the jetty, and the other sandy area.”

The NGO pointed out that “something else that is present even from early in the morning is the remains of pineapple cocktails from previous days. These can be found all over the island, together with plastic cups and other rubbish.”

After a couple of hours of relative tranquillity, the large boats begin arriving and depositing hundreds of tourists onto the island. Moviment Graffitti is calling for these big boats to be banned from Comino.

It stressed that “while the Blue Lagoon has been our main focus so far, it is by no means the only problem area of Comino. A walk along the coast reveals just how strained this little island is now, let alone if the government goes ahead with plans to attract even more visitors.”

Further inland, access to San Niklaw Bay has been completely blocked off by Hili Group, it said.

The NGO insisted that “returning to Blue Lagoon in the afternoon, the need to urgently address the issue of capacity on Comino is even more obvious. Now it’s hard to even move, let alone find a place to put your towel. The many kiosks are now also in full swing, with loud music blaring from each one of them.”

Moviment Graffitti argued that “if this is Robert Abela’s ideal of balance, then this paradise between Malta and Gozo will be destroyed in a few years. Instead of empty words, action needs to be taken now.”