It is a miracle that no one gets hurt on Comino every day.

The haphazard, disorganised jungle that this small island turns out to be all through the summer months is a major concern.

Year after year, the situation becomes worse.

A few weeks ago, The Malta Independent carried a feature on what tourists think about spending a day on what is marketed as an idyllic place where to relax and enjoy oneself. We spent a morning asking questions to foreigners who had decided to spend a day there. Many were not impressed, some were very disappointed that what was presented as a day of fun turned out into a day of chaos, noise and overcrowding on a beach that appeared so attractive in photos, but ended up being too tiny and overcrowded.

One wonders why people continue to go there. It is understandable that tourists who have never been there may be enticed by what is described to them as a unique experience, but the thousands of Maltese and Gozitans who go there know what to expect – confusion reigns supreme, with people swimming alongside moving boats, no comfortable place to stay on land, a rugged rocky coast that makes it so hard to walk and a congested bay that is too small for the volume of people it is expected to please.

We have had protests about deckchairs and umbrellas that are placed on the little land – which is supposed to be public. But, apart from this, there are many other reasons why we are running the risk of “losing” Comino as part of our tourist package. It’s because we have allowed the masses to take over with no control whatsoever. The commercialisation of Comino is good for the few, but overall it is causing more damage to the tourism industry than we care to think.

It is called overtourism, and it is not a good sign. It may work for a few more years but, sooner or later, we will pay the price. The situation reminds us of what happened to Maya Beach in Thailand, a bay that was made famous by a Leonardo di Caprio film in 2000. Since then, the presence of too many tourists had a negative impact on the coral reef, so much so that the authorities chose to close it for the public in 2018. Last year, it was partially reopened with conditions that limit access.

There is no coral reef at Comino, but we are sure that overtourism is having its negative effects in other ways. Tourists are led to believe that they will be spending a day of relaxation and instead have to endure so much disorder – without the possibility of leaving, as they are stuck on a boat which has a fixed schedule. “Where did you bring us?” is what many of them ask. “Can we leave?”

The way Comino is portrayed in photographs and footage is a kind of false marketing that causes harm to the industry.

The time has come for a serious study to be carried out on what tourists think about Comino, and perhaps come up with a plan to restrict access.