Keeping cool as Malta’s beaches heat up: ensuring a fair deal for locals, tourists and operators
As Malta’s population continues to balloon thanks to the number of expats coming to work on our sunny shores and the summer onslaught of tourists, public spaces continue to feel all the more stifling.
While locals were much happier to give personal concessions to those pesky operators taking up half the beach with empty deckchairs early in the morning, increasingly limited space has seen that patience run dry.
The sweltering heat, and constant ‘feels like 39/40/41’ degrees has also driven even more people to the beaches in an attempt to keep cool.
Deckchair overcrowding on beaches is not a new issue. It was given renewed coverage this summer when media reports quoted beach-goers who were disgruntled to find Ghadira Bay taken up by empty deckchairs at 6.30am. Prior to this, Alternattiva Demokratika leader Arnold Cassola uploaded images of an over-crowded Blue Lagoon in Comino.
Images of various beaches around Malta have been uploaded to social media with people complaining about how overcrowded public beaches have become with deckchairs and umbrellas, leaving little room for anything else. Many debates emerged with some accusing people of complaining for the sake of it.
This renewed coverage appeared to have prompted authorities to take action, with various reports coming in of umbrellas, deckchairs and sun bends being removed at Armier and Little Armier Bay.
Palm Beach, Victoria and Ray’s Lido all had gear loaded onto trucks and taken away.
The mission cleared 20 metres of beach closest to the sea. In view of the beach operators being awarded a concession on public land, the operation was carried out by the Malta Tourism Authority in coordination with the Lands Department.
A joint statement issued when the inspections were carried out outlined how beach operators were, “informed on previous occasions that they were not operating in accordance with the permit terms and were advised to comply. They were also warned that action would be taken if such non compliance persisted.”
The statement continued to say that joint action, “is part of the ongoing drive aimed at ensuring that regulations are respected in full. This should send a clear signal that the authorities are taking this matter seriously and that further abuse will not be tolerated.”
The next day, bathers were shocked to see that Armier had been taken up by tents and gazebos clustered all the way to the sea. Many commented about the hypocrisy of calling beach operators greedy when local families will happily take up the entire beach with their tents. Authorities appealed for better judgment to be used.
Action was then taken at a separate beach altogether. The MTA and Lands Department proceeded to close down a kiosk in the area known as Ta’ Fra Ben after its owners defied orders to stop putting out illegal deckchairs.
Roughly 100 deckchairs and 30 umbrellas were removed from the Qawra site, but just 24 hours later the operator had already put more deckchairs and umbrellas on the same spot.
The operator was subsequently informed that a €5,000 fine would be issued in response to the persistent violations.
NGO Kamp Emergenza Ambjent had issued a statement saying that if nothing is done to improve the situation, citizens’ direct action would be taken.
Several beaches around Malta and Gozo have been taken over by commercial entities which place deckchairs and umbrellas there from very early in the morning, ef-
fectively rendering public beaches, important spaces that are to be enjoyed by all, into private spaces for profit-making, Kamp Emergenza Ambjent said.
“Consequently, people are forced to choose between staying in the few crammed remaining spaces or hiring an umbrella and deckchair. People are often unable to place their own towels and umbrellas and there is not enough space for children to play. It is very unjust that a few private companies are making huge profits at the expense of the rest of the population from places that are supposed to be accessed and enjoyed by everyone.”
The activists demanded that companies engaging in these greedy practices immediately halt this takeover of public beaches, and that the relevant authorities ensure that the people’s right to enjoy these beaches is restored.
This newsroom attempted to get in touch with various operators across the island to hear their side of the story. The few who answered chose to remain anonymous and argued that people are not always made aware of different types of concessions being awarded, some are allowed to set up the deckchairs in an orderly fashion before bathers rent them out for the day, whilst others do not have that luxury.
Blatant abuse by some operators without any repercussions has also made matters worse, another operator stressed. He added that increased inspections by the authorities is also a good thing for the operators themselves because everybody is forced to play by the rules, ensuring a fair environment.
In a Times of Malta Interview with MTA CEO Paul Bugeja, he remarked that the authorities will keep up this momentum and will continue to be strict.
In comments, to this newsroom, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi acknowledged the problem and said, “the first step we took this summer was to ensure that everyone follows the law.”
On social media and websites such as Trip Advisor, the issue of deckchairs and umbrellas has been a recurring problem, lambasted by tourists who pointed out that beaches such as Mellieha and Comino were completely overcrowded by deckchairs and umbrellas, which are also excessively over-priced.
In addition to angering locals, the issue also has an adverse effect on the Maltese ‘product’ and maintaining features that keep people coming back.
When asked about what fines and penalties are in place, Mizzi replied: “there are fines and we have also started closing down operators and removing deckchairs and umbrellas from public beaches. This week we had two major operations but essentially, following last week’s intervention of closing down of an establishment, the operators have started to regularise themselves, which is a positive development. We will, of course, continue to monitor the situation throughout and where there is a breach we will enforce these regulations.”
Mizzi added: “I think generally people have welcomed the enforcement initiatives from the past few weeks and if anyone sees any abuses we want them to flag them to us.”
Last year, a furore was raised when this newsroom first revealed the issues related to over-crowding and overpricing at the Blue Lagoon. The story eventually led MTA to carry out enforcement, primarily by issuing a detailed price list of what one should pay for a deckchair and umbrella while in Comino.
The MTA were quick to point out that the situation is far improved from years ago, when operators were completely unregulated. A big improvement noted last summer and this one is the amount of people flagging irregularities and speaking out.
Malta’s beaches have time and time again been cited as major features enjoyed by all who visit the island. Maltese waters have also been commended for being among the cleanest in Europe. In the light of the growing number of people visiting the various beaches, regulation and enforcement are a must in order to ensure a fair deal for all, locals, tourists and operators.