Visit Malta officials filmed telling citizens to leave deckchair-occupied beach in Comino

Moviment Graffitti published footage showing government officials enforcing private commercial interests at Comino’s Blue Lagoon, with the video showing Malta Tourism Authority officials ordering beachgoers to leave a rocky area of the public beach.

The incident, which took place on Sunday, 14 June, shows a group of friends being told to move despite not occupying any sunbeds or umbrellas. According to Graffitti, the officials also threatened to call the police if they refused to leave.

The activist group said the incident exposed the real effect of the government’s handling of Blue Lagoon, describing the area as a public beach inside a protected nature reserve being managed as though concession holders had a right to control access to it.

While operators may have concessions for sunbeds and umbrellas in parts of the area, Graffitti said these arrangements do not grant them permanent occupation rights, nor do they give public officials the authority to remove people from public land on their behalf.

The group stressed it was not calling for disciplinary action against the officials involved, arguing that the incident reflected a systemic failure rather than the conduct of individual employees.

According to Graffitti, Comino has been taken over by a “government-sponsored web of commercial interests” that prioritises mass tourism over environmental protection and the public’s right to enjoy one of Malta’s most sensitive natural sites.

The latest video follows years of controversy over the commercialisation of Blue Lagoon, where beach concessions, kiosks, ferry operators and large tourist boats have steadily transformed the protected site into one of Malta’s most congested summer attractions.

The Shift recently reported that despite the government’s attempt to control visitor numbers through a wristband system, commercial activity continues to overwhelm the site.

A visit to Comino earlier this month found between eight and 12 commercial boats berthed around Blue Lagoon at any given time, with large operators ferrying hundreds of visitors to the small beach throughout the day.

The government’s new rules allow up to 12,000 visitors per day, with no more than 4,000 people allowed on the beach and surrounding lagoon at the same time.

Activists have repeatedly argued that the cap fails to address the mass transport of tourists by commercial operators from areas such as Buġibba, Sliema and other coastal localities.

Blue Lagoon’s commercial concessions have also remained a long-running enforcement failure.

In February, The Shift reported that illegal kiosks and beach concessions were set to remain in place for another summer, despite repeated promises by successive tourism ministers that the area would be cleaned up and subjected to a proper tendering process.

All kiosks at the Blue Lagoon have lacked valid PA permits since at least 2015, while beach concessions have continued operating through ad hoc arrangements that are extended annually instead of competitive tenders.

Graffitti also pointed to the government’s continued refusal to publish Comino’s carrying capacity study, despite repeated requests and a recent court ruling that Cabinet secrecy cannot be used as a blanket justification to block public access to information.

The pressure on Comino is not limited to Blue Lagoon.

In May, the Court of Appeal ordered the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal to reassess its decision approving Hili Ventures’ controversial €170 million tourism development on the island, a project involving the demolition and redevelopment of the Comino hotel and bungalow complex.

For Graffitti, the latest incident shows that the government’s policy on Comino remains tilted towards commercial operators rather than the public interest.

“As long as this situation persists, the public will continue to be pushed out, and Comino will continue to be denied the protection it deserves,” the group said, adding that it was ready to take further action against the “theft” of public spaces and heritage.