Unlicensed stalls selling food and souvenirs sit next to others whose owners paid over €8,000 for a permit to operate in Dwejra, angry vendors have told this newspaper.
Ice cream seller Joseph Portelli said the Land Department had issued a permit so he could have a kiosk at the popular Gozo bay between March and October.
Like him, he noted, three others had paid the hefty licence in March, however a number of stalls were taking up parking space and occupying other areas, even though their owners were not in possession of a permit.
According to Mr Portelli, on some days there were up to seven unlicensed stalls at the tourist hotspot.
“It’s very unfair, because we paid quite a lot money to get the permits, making sure we abide by all the rules,” Mr Portelli said.
He said he regularly reported the matter to the authorities but, still, the unlicensed stalls kept being mounted on a daily basis. He said both the Land Department and the San Lawrenz local council had been informed.
It’s a whole mess. People simply came here with their cars, opened the boot and sold things.Meanwhile, we had to pay thousands of euros to be granted permission
“It’s not always the same number of vendors. There have been times when there have been up to seven, while at other times it’s just a couple. But there’s always someone,” Mr Portelli said.
Some of those who set up such stalls, he went on, even used plastic boxes to prevent motorists from parking in specific areas. Mr Portelli said yellow boxes were allocated to those who had paid for the permits to indicate which areas they could occupy.
In busier days, when hundreds of tourists descended on the area, there were also instances when people sold souvenirs, drinks and other items from their private cars.
“It’s a whole mess. People simply came down here with their cars, opened the boot and sold things. Meanwhile, we had to pay thousands of euros to be granted permission to sell,” Mr Portelli said.
When contacted, a spokesman said the local council was not responsible for the issue of permits. However, he said the council was “preoccupied with the situation”, fearing Dwejra bay was being reduced to a shabby place.
He said that the competent authorities had been informed about the prevailing situation “several times”.
A Lands Department spokeswoman confirmed that four permits had been issued for mobile kiosks at Dwejra. In an inspection a few days ago, five hawkers were found to have set up stalls without the necessary permits, she said.
“The five hawkers were warned they could not operate from a fixed site unless they had an encroachment permit,” she said. She added that the department did not grant any permits to hawkers as these were considered as itinerant vendors and were regulated by the Trading Licences Act, which fell under the responsibility of the Trade Department.
“Hawkers must be in possession of a trading licence, a police permit and a permit from the local council. If the hawkers in question are not abiding by their licence conditions, then the responsible authorities that issued such permits should ensure the conditions are being respected,” she said.
A Dwejra steering committee was set up by the Environment Ministry earlier this summer in an attempt to manage the area. Situated close to the iconic Azure Window, the bay attracts thousands of visitors every year and is often regarded as one of the main attractions of the Maltese islands.