Watch: We Are Taking Tourists For A Ride With Comino Photos, Sandra Gauci Says
Tourists are being deceived about the state of Comino’s Blue Lagoon and feel frustrated when they realise the beach is so crowded and noisy, ADPD deputy leader Sandra Gauci warned.
“We can’t keep on destroying this small island,” Gauci said shortly after attending a protest organised by Movement Graffitti against the take-up of the Blue Lagoon by operators’ deckchairs and umbrellas.
“I could see tourists getting off boats like ants, walking around in flip-flops and trying to find a corner of the beach for themselves. I heard tourists complaining that they had come to a disgusting place.”
She said the Blue Lagoon situation is just like those ‘Instagram vs Reality’ TikTok videos where users contrast stunning photos of beautiful places around the world with mass tourism realities.
“We are literally taking tourists for a ride, showing them filtered, cropped and photoshopped photos of Comino, only for them to see a squalid and sad reality when they arrive,” she said.
Gauci, who has expressed her wish to succeed Carmel Cacopardo as ADPD leader, endorsed Graffitti’s proposals for Comino.
These include limiting deckchairs and umbrellas to 30% of the Blue Lagoon, banning large tourist boats from Comino, reducing the number of kiosks to two, banning loud music, and imposing limits on the type of waste generated.
Comino’s Natura 2000 Management Plan warns that the large volume of tourist visitors is harming the bay’s nature value and states that “it has to be decided whether a carrying capacity should be established to cap the number of visitors”.
Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar recently proposed capping the number of people who can visit Blue Lagoon as a means of safeguarding against overcrowding and overtourism.
Cover photo: Left: A photo of the Blue Lagoon published by the Malta Tourism Authority, Right: Sandra Gauci attending a Moviment Graffitti protest on Comino
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