A renowned island on Instagram, once celebrated as the most picturesque in the Mediterranean, has transformed into a nightmarish habitat teeming with rats, resembling a dilapidated favela in some neglected nation.
Around the globe, the small Maltese island of Comino has earned recognition for its stunning turquoise waters and its well-known limestone beach called the Blue Lagoon.
The charming island’s appeal has grown thanks to social media influencers visiting Comino for the ideal photo opportunity and due to its feature in popular Hollywood movies like Troy.
Nevertheless, even though Malta’s tourism board calls it the ‘most beautiful location in the Mediterranean,’ Comino is currently suffering from excessive tourist traffic.
Throughout the summertime, as many as 10,000 visitors arrive daily by boats, only to be squeezed into the crowded bay.
Impromptu bars blaring loud tunes encircle the attendees offering alcohol and finger foods, only to have these items discarded as trash, thus becoming a readily available meal for Comino’s rapidly growing rodent populace.
Activists in Malta are currently battling to safeguard Comine, designated as a protected natural reserve and avian sanctuary, against potential destruction.
A civic organization called Movimento Graffiti is advocating for significant reforms in how the island is governed.
In 2022, they organized a large demonstration during which they took control of and removed sun loungers and umbrellas.
A participant from the group referred to the present circumstances as ‘intolerable’, according to Andre Callus.
‘The residents of Gozo and Malta consider it a nightmare, so they avoid going there now. Commercial enterprises have completely overtaken Comino. Despite being a tiny location, there are 11 kiosks selling food and drinks. Their primary aim seems to be maximizing profits from the island,’ he explained.
The Daily Telegraph
.
Maltese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claim that a study assessing the number of tourists the island can accommodate was suppressed by the Maltese authorities. However, numerous residents clearly observe the adverse effects of overcrowding due to tourism.
Residents of the tiny island nation took to writing letters to local newspapers criticizing the current condition of Comino.
One remarked that the once-famous Blue Lagoon now resembled “a dilapidated favela in some neglected nation.”
Someone else commented: “This formerly picturesque island has transformed into a circus, and I would not visit it again even if someone offered me money.”
The Maltese government is attempting to carefully navigate the space between safeguarding the natural allure of Comino and fostering Malta’s tourism industry — an industry that constitutes 15 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.
Ian Borg, who serves as the minister for tourism, suggests reducing the daily visitor limit to half, dropping from 10,000 to just 5,000 individuals permitted to explore the island each day.
In order to implement this legislation, the authorities must verify with commercial boat owners the number of passengers they transport and the frequency of their daily trips.
Mr. Borg has additionally committed to reviewing the permitted number of bars operating and installing public restrooms.
Nevertheless, organizations like BirdLife Malta advocate for Comino’s designation as a nature reserve to be upheld, which includes removing waste every day and limiting visitor numbers.
Comino symbolizes the broader challenges posed by tourism for Malta; this small country with a populace of slightly more than 500,000 experienced an astounding 3.6 million tourists visiting last year.
To cater to visitors, extensive shoreline projects have been greenlit, but activists argue these initiatives are causing irreparable harm to Malta’s natural surroundings.
Mark Sultana, CEO of BirdLife Malta, wishes that the condition of the Blue Lagoon serves as an awakening for both politicians and developers.
“The cow has been milked excessively,” he stated.
Read more