Blue Lagoon in Comino, in Malta
The Mediterranean Little Cominos Mediterranean Paradise has long been invaded by tourists, many of them attracted by social networks to photograph its iconic Blue Lagoon. Now, the island is ripuring.
Sitting in a coffee in Marfa Bay in Malta, Colin Backhouse looks at a small dirt of dirt on the horizon: the 3 km by 5 km, a slab of sun -burned rock surrounded by a shimmering sea that changes deep to bright turquoise. Once a almost empty refugetoday is one of the most disputed tourist destinations of the Maltese archipelago.
With over 51,000 followers on your popular Facebook page, Malta Holiday Experiences, Backhouse dedicates your time to recommend the best places to exploring in the Maltesse islands. But there is a place that he refuses to recommend.
“It’s wonderful this time of year,” he says, nodding to the islet without cars between Malta and enjoyment. “But in summer? They didn’t even pay me to get closer. It’s hell on earth”.
Annually attracting tens of thousands of visitors from around the world, the Comino Azul Lagoa is the any photographer’s dream and one of the most emblematic destinations of the Mediterranean. The vivid tone of the bay, caused by the reflection of sunlight at the bottom of the white limestone, shines under the Mediterranean sun, making it a perfect theme for stunning photographs.
At the low time, from December to February, the waters of the bay remain uncommon, except for the gentle ripple of a seagull to land. The coast is silent, the untouched coastline. But summer tells a different story. The crowds, shoulder to shoulder, vie for space, the garbage spills from the trash crates Which overflows and tangle in the shrubs of Esteva Pisados, while the gasboats the gasoline play music and leave a trail of environmental damage.
Backhouse remembers a time when Comino looked like an isolated refuge. “I first visited him in 1980. At that time, one could have the whole place just for us. Unfortunately, I saw firsthand destruction over the decades. I no longer know why people bother to work. ”
And it’s not the only one to feel the same. Frustration with overcoming Cominos has been growing for years, with some visitors disillusioned to the point of nicknamed the experience of a day of travel from Malta of “fraud”. Overcrowded boats, limited amenities and the aggravation of environmental degradation have led to a increasing pressure on the authorities to act.
In response, activists came into action. In 2022, a local group called Movementi Graffiti took the subject in his own hands, stripping the island of his loungers and sun loungers, protesting what they considered to be a exploitation of public space for private profit. Your message was clear: Cominos must be protected, not piled.
The rise of the island to a dream destination is interesting. Having served as a backdrop in films and series such as the Count of Monte Cristo, Troia and even briefly in Game of Thrones, Blue Lagoon was already a well -known cinematic jewel. But social networks made their popularity shoot. Its surreal and iridescent waters began to attract travelers from around the world in search of perfect photography.
“It is at the top of the wish list of many visitors when they come to Maltese islands,” says Rebecca Milllo, KM Malta’s director of marketing and business communication, the country’s national airline. “Many people just want to go straight there.”
But the change is finally coming. This year, in an effort to restore mass tourism and relieve pressure on the islet, which is a designated site Natura 2000, the Maltesan authorities are Introduce a maximum limit of visitors Diaries – Reducing the number of boat excursions from 10,000 to 5000. It is a significant step in the right direction, but for environmental advocates such as Mark Sultana, executive director of Birdlife Malta, is just a partial solution.
“Limiting the number of birds is a good start,” he says. “But we need a public sustainability plan that does not only focus on the control of the crowds, but also in the preservation of the fragile ecosystem of Cominos. We insist that there must be a ticket control system, where only a maximum number of tickets can be issued per day. ”
Cominos difficulties are not unique. Throughout the Mediterranean, governments are squeezing regulations to combat excessive tourism. Venice introduced entry rates for one -day visitors, while Athens limited the number of daily visitors to the Acropolis. These changes mark a wider impulse in the sense of more sustainable trips.
Malta’s experienced tourist guide, Joanne Gatt, listens to a recurring complaint of tourists: visiting the small island is not the experience they wanted. “Go to Comino waiting for a paradise and are disappointed”He says.“ They are overcrowded, they are chaotic. Hopefully the visitor limit makes a real difference. ”
With the new rules in force, the hope is that Comino can recover some of his lost charm, offering a more pleasant experience and safeguarding his ecosystem. But there are those who feel that Evil is already done. “With so many people wear it out year after year, I just hope you will be something for future generations to enjoy,” reflects Gatt.
