The girl stands on the cliff edge, grasping a rope as she looks at the massive natural rock window... then jumps.

Pulled down in one big rush, she swings back and forth through the arch, metres above sea level as she screams with the thrill.

This is a scene from a video of the event called Gozo Pendulum that was uploaded on You Tube at the start of the week.

The breathtaking swing had been watched by almost 16,000 viewers by yesterday evening.

Organised by Gozo Adventures, the event at Wied il-Mielaħ in Għarb was held last month to mark the adventure holidays and events company’s 10th anniversary.

The extreme activity fuelled different reactions from online viewers, with some expressing shock and others lauding the youngsters’ initiative. When contacted, a spokesman for Gozo Adventures said all necessary council permits were obtained for the event. However, he would not comment on the activity because the person who organised it was abroad.

Adventure tourism that included trekking, rock climbing and abseiling is a budding tourist niche, according to Malta Tourism Authority CEO Josef Formosa Gauci. “It is a small but growing niche and such activities are sometimes used as breakaway events during conferences,” he said. But the tourism chief insisted the right balance had to be found between allowing the industry space to develop and making sure safety and environmental rules were observed.

“At first glance the girl in the video has no helmet and I do have a problem with that,” Mr Formosa Gauci said.

Safety concerns were among the issues raised by viewers with some even asking whether it was fair for taxpayers to foot the rescue bill if things went awry.

But John Rizzo, head of the Civil Protection Department, believes the taxpayer argument is a dangerous one to make. He insisted that every sports activity had an element of risk, with some more than others.

“Our duty is to save lives without distinction even if it means putting our own at risk,” he said.

The CPD is aware of the growing interest in adventure sport and only last week held a meeting with clubs that organise activities such as climbing.

“We are aware of the sites normally used by these clubs and have prepared plans for each area to help us locate them quickly if needed. But this does not preclude individuals of their own accord engaging in these activities,” Mr Rizzo said.