The Blue Lagoon on Comino is still under threat as no enforcement system is in place to limit visitors, as promised by the government, NGO Graffitti said Saturday.
Minister Ian Borg promised that Comino would be different this summer, the NGO said.
But the "Blue Lagoon is still choked with all kinds of commercial activity and buried under mass tourism, which is causing serious environmental damage and hindering access for people who truly want to enjoy it".
An investigation by Newsbook revealed that there is no enforcement of the system introduced by the Government in May - a system that was supposed to limit the number of visitors.
Earlier this year, the government introduced a booking system to allow a limited number of people at a given time. In summer 2024, up to 12,000 visitors were recorded at the Blue Lagoon at any one time, especially at peak hours. The new booking system allowed for a maximum of 4,000 visitors at Blue Lagoon at any one time. "Access without a valid booking will not be permitted and infringement may be subject to a fine," a note on the Malta Tourism Authority website says.
But Newsbook this week revealed that no enforcement was taking place and visitors remained on site even after their time slot expired.
Beyond enforcement, Graffitti said it has always maintained that this system could never work, because the so-called "cap" still allows thousands of people to descend on the Blue Lagoon every day; and also because it does not address the root of the problem: the large tourist boats bringing in mass tourism.
The only fair and effective way to reduce overcrowding at the Blue Lagoon is by removing the large commercial boat operators from Comino. These operators recruit tourists from places like Sliema and Buġibba and unload them by the hundreds at the Blue Lagoon, several times a day.
Comino is a nature reserve and a place that should belong to everyone. Instead, commercial operators are monopolizing and exploiting it for their own profit.
"We are still waiting for Minister Borg to keep his word. Will he be ready to take on the greed of the few in order to protect Comino's environment and give it back to the people," Graffitti said.
Photo: Newsbook