The situation at Blue Lagoon in Comino seems to again be deteriorating, with deckchair and umbrella operators allegedly disobeying Malta Tourism Enforcement who ordered that umbrellas and deckchairs should only be put out when they are rented.
A Malta Independent journalist went to Comino to assess the situation. The signs stipulating the prices for deckchairs and umbrellas are still in place and the operators are charging according to stipulated price. However a number of boatowners who spoke to us said that the deckchairs and umbrellas were in place prior to anyone going to hire them.
On August 7 this newsroom had revealed that overcrowding and overpricing at Comino’s Blue Lagoon have become the subject of several complaints, with visitors openly objecting to the high cost of hiring deckchairs and umbrellas.
The Malta Tourism Authority then took action, warning operators to keep the number of deckchairs within the limit stipulated in the tenders. Signs regarding prices were then placed given that operators put up prices even further.
MTA officials had gone on site a number of occasions, and on August 17 MTA said it was pleased to note that the regulations specified in the agreements, including those relating to maximum number of deckchairs allowed and the prices per unit that can be charged in the different areas are being followed.
Boat owners who spoke with the Malta Independent journalist at Comino however, said that regulations were followed for a few days after the whole saga seemingly came to an end, and then deckchairs and umbrellas were being put out without anyone hiring them.
Blue Lagoon is an extremely popular destination for both tourists and locals, and as a result is often overcrowded, with people packing in like a can of sardines. In fact this issue is mentioned frequently on TripAdvisor and visitors keep posting about the issue of crowding every day.
One person from the UK wrote: “Truly stunning place and lovely crystal blue waters. However the downside is that you have to get a boat over to the island which is not too bad and reasonably priced but the place is soooooo busy that it is practically impossible to find a place to sit to enjoy the gorgeous sunshine. I would recommend getting over there as early as you can to try to get one of the chairs which they do charge for. ”
Another British citizen who visited the Blue Lagoon said that, “ Over 7,000 people on the day (Friday in August) we visited and it was just too many for such a tiny space with people just climbing round all the rocks to get a space, danger danger! The fish have scarpered because there are so many people, soon this will not be beautiful but wrecked by tourism! ”
In the meantime the MTA said this afternoon that the operators were following the rules, which include not putting out any deckchairs before they were rented. It also sent a number of pictures, which it said were taken today and in the past few days.
The MTA said it was clear that its efforts to safeguard the touristic product at Comino were “bearing fruit.” It said operators had also expressed their satisfaction at the results achieved.
“Despite the impression that enforcement started after recent newspaper reports it has been ongoing for the past two years, in an effort to address the lack of controls and deterioration that had reigned for many years,” the authority said, noting that it had dished out some €12,000 in fines since the end of July.
Operators, it said, were now obeying the rules, including those concerning deckchair rental. Authority officials were visiting the Blue Lagoon and Santa Marija Bay on a daily basis to observe and report back. Immediate action is taken where necessary, the MTA said.