The widespread capping of the number of visitors to heritage sites is not needed, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici told this newsroom during an interview.
While he acknowledged that some sites, like the Hypogeum, do impose entry limits, the widespread capping may not be necessary, he said.
Malta takes good care of its heritage attractions, or at least of those which are done up, so to speak. All one has to do is take a look at the Ggantija, Mnajdra and Hagar Qim temples, the President's Palace in Valletta, Fort St Angelo. Except for the occasional act of vandalism, for which the book should be thrown at those committing such acts, they are well kept.
The minister's argument, that the more tourists that visit museums means more money left to reinvest in heritage protection and museums themselves does make sense, up to a point. If future foot traffic becomes too heavy on a particular site, then of course one must re-evaluate the need to put a limit on the number of visitors who frequent that site in order to avoid any issues it can cause.
The authorities must also ensure that the funds being generated are put to best use in terms of protecting our heritage.
A big problem with the cultural heritage sector, is that there are many sites that are not taken care of. There are those in a dilapidated state, and without care some could end up being lost for good. The more heritage sites that are restored and made available for public visitation, means a better spread of visitors across different sites, meaning that the chance of a single site being too overpopulated, so to speak, will be less. From a tourism perspective, when visiting a site a tourist does not want to be crammed in one long queue of people walking in single file, that is not an good experience and also ruins the beauty of visiting such sites.
When we talk about capping, one site which is part of our natural heritage instantly comes to mind, where calls for the introduction of restrictions have been made for some time. Comino. Indeed this newsroom has previously highlighted that Malta should be having a discussion about capping the number of visitors to Comino. Now the government seems to have taken a decision.
Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg recently said during an interview with the Times of Malta that Transport Malta is compiling a list of commercial operators serving Comino to assess their regulatory compliance, boat capacity and trip frequency, ultimately leading to a cap on the number of passengers each commercial boat can carry. The plan, he said, is to reduce the number of passengers by half. The PN's Shadow Minister for the Environment, Rebekah Borg, said that if what the Deputy Prime Minister said is true, then it is something positive, but she has her doubts citing government promises to improve the management of Comino in the past, which she said did not come true. She also spoke of the need to better protect the island.
Moviment Graffitti supports the minister's announcement, but has also reiterated calls to have Comino's carrying capacity study which had been carried out, published, and it should be.
Comino during the summer months is too crammed, which is not only bothersome for those who visit the island, but could also damage the flora and fauna of the area. A cap on the number of visitors to Comino makes sense, to better protect the island and keep it as pristine as possible, and also to make visitors' visits more pleasant.