A travel agency raised eyebrows after it promoted Lampedusa saying it was “today totally free from illegal immigrants” and the matter was a “problem of the past”.
The ROCS Group travel arm described Italian island Lampedusa as an ideal summer destination that was being overlooked because of “bad press” it received during the height of the migration crisis.
“The 13km island may have had a bit of bad press some years ago due to the arrival of many Africans seeking refuge but don’t let that cloud your judgement,” the website’s testimonial reads.
It goes on to say that if tourists were considering a trip there they should not worry as the migration problem was over.
Lampedusa is synonymous with the migration crisis, becoming the unwitting host to thousands of migrants whose makeshift boats are dragged there by the currents or are rescued and dropped on the island by the authorities.
It has also been the scene of death and desperation as images of coffins laid side-by-side on the island were flashed across the globe following a series of horrific incidents that cost hundreds of migrants their lives.
Integra Foundation director Maria Pisani said the advert was not only deceiving, since the arrival of migrants in Lampedusa had not yet stopped, but it also reflected an ignorance of contemporary forced migration in the Mediterranean.
God forbid the presence of refugees in Lampedusa should offend tourists
She said that “surely” there was consensus that the lives of refugees, the horrors they endured in fleeing their homes and in their search for safety “must be more important than a holiday experience”.
“God forbid the presence of refugees in Lampedusa should offend tourists or in some way disrupt the luxury of a holiday. The advert is distasteful, morally bankrupt and offensive. Whose judgement is clouded,” she asked.
ROCS Group CEO Colin Aquilina said that if the comment “caused distress in any manner or form” he wanted to publicly apologise to anybody who was offended. “It was never our intention to comment insensitively to an issue which, in our opinion, is not a problem but a tragedy, moreover, a challenge which the world is facing,” he said.
Mr Aquilina said the group’s only aim was to launch the Pelagian islands on the Maltese market by investing financially in a sustainable route to the nearest island close to Malta and Gozo.
ROCS Group director Rachel Vella said the company had only recently added trips to Lampedusa to its list of destinations.
She said it was common knowledge that many migrants did not wish to even end up in Lampedusa and would prefer to travel to mainland Europe. “In reality, negative media, whatever it is, impacts a tourist destination, be it ISIS, a tsunami, or migration,” she said.