[attach id=271480 size="medium"]MTA chairman Gavin Gulia: “We are ready to lead”. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier[/attach]
Għadira’s popular beach was immortalised in New Cuorey’s folk song Il-Bajja tal-Mellieħa, which extolled its natural beauty, the blue sea and surrounding green fields.
But the song released in 1973 made no reference to the umbrellas and sun beds put up by private operators that over the years gobbled up space on the sandy beach.
Sammy Bartolo, the Mellieħa-born songwriter, may be forgiven for the oversight because 40 years ago the proliferation of umbrellas by kiosk and lido operators had only just started.
Over the years the sandy beach shrunk, the number of beachgoers increased and a tussle for space ensued. Bartolo might have written a different song today.
And as complaints soared every summer, restoring order at Malta’s largest beach became a priority for the Malta Tourism Authority.
A plan was hatched last year and although it started being implemented, the results failed to impress.
Bad habits die hard and when Gavin Gulia was appointed chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority three months ago, Għadira was one of the first problems on his agenda.
What appeared to be a straightforward delineation of space on paper was a complicated exercise of coordination between different government entities and hours of talks with operators.
Dr Gulia insists the beach “was, is and will always” remain public property. It is something he emphasises from the outset of the interview at his office in Merchants Street, Valletta.
Today, the whole of Għadira is roughly divided in half between the operators and space for beachgoers
The operators do not strictly have a concession over the space where they set up umbrellas but the Government has tolerated the practice against payment, he explains, whil another point is that despite the flak private operators receive, there is demand for the service by beachgoers.
“I wanted to tackle the problem this summer and although the concessions are regulated by agreements with the Land Department, the MTA was driving the reform through cooperation with the Land Commissioner, the lidos and kiosks, the police and other entities,” he says.
The authority re-adjusted the spaces allotted to the operators, ensuring they could still retain the 300 sun bed limit but freeing up more areas for public use.
“Today, the whole of Għadira is roughly divided half and half between the operators and space for beachgoers who do not want to hire an umbrella and sun bed ,” Dr Gulia says.
Pointing towards a map, he says the large expanse in the middle beach (Għadira has three sandy beaches with the middle being the largest) is possibly as big as Paradise Bay and it has been returned to the public.
He acknowledges that public space in the two smaller beaches on either side is smaller than that occupied by the operators.
“These two beaches are small but people have to be aware that there is much more space available in the middle section.”
But the breakthrough that showed the MTA meant business came last month.
Dr Gulia says that a kiosk operator insisted on ignoring the space allotted to him.
“He used to stick to the plan during the week but flout the agreement at weekends.
“After repeated warnings the MTA asked the Land Department to withdraw the concession and issue an eviction order.”
It worked. The operator stopped setting up sun beds and umbrellas and the court also turned down an application for an injunction filed by the kiosk owner.
“We want Għadira to be a model of beach management for other zones and although the MTA is just involved in the management aspect, we are ready to serve as a single focal point,” Dr Gulia says.
He explains there are too many stakeholders involved and this complicates matters of licensing and enforcement. There is little coordination between Government entities, he says.
Dr Gulia says time is ripe for a beaches agency either under the MTA or as an independent entity that assumes all the functions that are spread out between different entities. “This cuts red tape, allows for a more efficient processing of licences and reduces the time for enforcement action to be taken.”
He says the MTA has the enthusiasm and is willing to offer leadership on the matter. He admits there are bigger problems at Armier and Comino but says the MTA is resolute about tackling these issues.
“We need to have a long-term strategy for Comino to cut abuse and give the public, the operators and boat owners a fair deal,” he says.
It is the next challenge after Għadira, he adds, and one the MTA is ready for. Whether the operators are ready to play ball, is another question altogether.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com
Eyes on Comino
Tourism officials will descend on Comino to monitor the popular island haunt this week as the summer season peaks for the Santa Marija period.
Malta Tourism Authority chairman Gavin Gulia says the main function would be “intelligence gathering” but the officials would also serve as a deterrent against abuse.
The MTA hopes to have a better-regulated environment on Comino next year, something that was impossible to achieve this year as it focused on Għadira.
“We need an assessment of the situation because the information gained at peak season will help the authority draw up a long-term beach management plan,” Dr Gulia says.
A meeting was held last week between the MTA, the police, Transport Malta and other agencies to coordinate action for the Santa Marija holiday period.
“There will be better waste management on Comino to cater for the influx of holidaymakers and in the absence of a beach management strategy our officers will be there to supervise the situation,” he says.
Comino attracts some 4,000 beachgoers every day, as well as yachts that drop anchor outside the swimming zones.
Dr Gulia says the Għadira model will be used as a benchmark but acknowledged Comino was a more complex situation due to the island’s small size, its environmental importance and its popularity with beachgoers and yacht owners.
Sometimes, he adds, operators broke rules with the complicity of patrons who insisted on renting out umbrellas and deckchairs to place outside the delineated space. “This means we have to also educate the public and this can only be done if we have a long-term strategy.”