A tourist from Munich is putting people to shame whenever he turns up at beaches, cleaning up the litter left over by locals and, maybe, by other tourists too. No matter how much people are told to keep the beaches (and other public places) clean, many simply do not care and do exactly what they have been doing before: let others clean up after them.
The German tourist, Hans Jocham, is doing his bit for his host country, setting an example to those who see him at work at the beaches where he goes. People watching him are impressed by his civic sense but most would not ever consider following his example. Sadly and frustratingly, the result is there for all to see.
The seawater in Malta is clean in most places but the impression one gets of some beaches is one of neglect. This particularly applies to the approaches to them. Winning the Blue Flag is fine but the exercise should not stop there.
Take Golden Bay, for instance, one of the finest beaches on the island, especially now that the restaurant at the back has been removed, winning the Blue Flag for the bay.
The sand is usually clean; the bay has lifeguards and supervisors, too, but the approach needs to be spruced up. The large car park close to the former Ħal Ferh tourist village, off the main road, badly needs to be levelled out in one place and the site cleaned up of the dirt and dead weeds.
It is not just the beaches and the approaches to them that need to be seen to but also tourist places.Dwejra, in Gozo, is heavily advertised for the Azure Window and the Inland Sea, both interesting sites, but, again, the approaches, particularly to the Inland Sea, are horrendous. Knocked-down boundary walls and dead shrubbery give the place a desolate image. It is in a most shameful state. Indeed, it looks as if there is no entity responsible for its upkeep.
The usual retort to the complaint that the place has always looked like that is, of course, not good enough, and whoever is responsible for its upkeep ought to ensure it is given a thorough clean-up right away. Tourists are not getting very much impressed by the state of the site. Which is not the case as regards the Cittadella, which has been beautifully restored and is quite an attraction. Hopefully, an extra effort is now made to keep the place in the pristine condition it is in today.
Another popular place in Gozo is Xlendi but why have restaurateurs been allowed to take up practically the whole shoreline? The place, small as it is, should be given back to the people to enjoy. It is all right to have restaurants and a few tables here and there but the place has been taken over completely. This is unacceptable and the situation should be seen to without further delay.
For years on end now, many have been complaining that the country is too dirty. Improvements have been made in terms of embellishment of public areas and some local councils have done wonders in their locality, however, in others the improvement appears to have stopped at the roundabouts. Generally speaking, there are far too many places that still lookvery shabby, dirty or badly in needof maintenance.
Besides a more environmentally attuned administration, the country needs an army of Hans Jochams to help clean up its image.