Remembering Summer 2022 and its excesses

The chaos and worse at what we call the Blue Lagoon skipped a heartbeat when the activists led by Graffitti turned up and removed the loungers taking over the minuscule bay for the general public

Then, by the next day all was back the way it was, although government ministers fell over each other to tell us they were – ahem – going to tackle it that very same day. They didn’t tell us however about the close links they had with the operators of the loungers and the mushrooming kiosks offering loud music and kiosk food. That was left to other websites to reveal.

People continued to write their description of the culture shock they experience at today’s Blue Lagoon as megayacht after another disgorges crowds of lobster-pink tourists, yacht diesel and probably human excreta into the small bay. And the operators cry in horror at any talk of capping the arrivals at Malta’s third island. Or re-establishing law and order.

That’s the way it is and that’s how it will be in the foreseeable future. More crowding, more pollution, more exploitation. More Southend on Sea than the shores of the Ganges. But definitely Third World.

Comino and the Blue Lagoon are just one example. Gozo itself is another with massive development all around, with monster apartments being approved by a supine Planning Authority without infrastructure planned beforehand as it should be.

That’s the story of Bugibba, of Marsascala, of St Julian’s and soon of the rest of Malta after the developers finish with it, if they ever finish, that is.

That’s the story of Xlendi with the restaurants much loved by government ministers having the most enforcements in the bay. While the bay is swiftly being turned into a spit of sand surrounded by massive apartment buildings overlooking each other’s back balconies.

Ask the people of Gzira, reduced to a massive development zone in just a few years. The outlets that have mushroomed on the promenade have multiple enforcement notices but nobody pays any notice, pardon the pun.

As for massive enforcement notices The Shift examined two prime areas in Valletta, St John Square and a stretch of Merchants Street and found innumerable cases. What’s the use of enforcement notices, what’s the use of the Planning Authority itself when everybody feels immune and does whatever one wants? What’s the use of fivestar boutique hotels when they’re submerged in enforcement notices?

Where is all this leading us? So far we are seeing the arrivals figures shoot up, hotel and selfcatering accommodation registering full complement as people break out of the Covid restrictions. But what will happen after the initial euphoria dies down? And what will happen when inflation continues to ramp up?

I saw an interview on a British television station with a teacher with a full-time job who explained how even with the wife working part-time they are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

Now this may be due to the particular situation of the couple, which I do not think, or due to the post-Brexit situation of the UK, but it will inevitably affect the tourist numbers to Malta. The other EU countries are not much better as any cursory reading of news portals will show.

Do we think then that when they come to decide on their next holiday they will not be swayed by their memories of Summer 2022 – the heat, the clogged roads, the crowds everywhere, the high prices in mediocre restaurants, the indifferent service, etc?

We, being Maltese, could telling them far more. We could tell them about the ridiculous minister who blamed the festas for the clogged roads when we know this is not so. But, being Maltese, we say nothing and suffer in silence.