TMID Editorial: Comino’s magic number

We are no stranger to debate about Comino during the summer months. Indeed, just a couple of weeks ago, there was controversy after an official from the Malta Tourism Authority's Enforcement Operations unit was seen telling a beachgoer that they had to move their towel from where they had settled near Comino's Blue Lagoon because the area in question apparently belonged to a deckchair operator.That was put off as an isolated incident, but the controversy also reignited debates over the crowding situation in Comino.A cap of 4,000 visitors was put on the island last summer, but videos taken this summer still show a place which is quite crowded, particularly in the hotspot areas like Blue Lagoon.Tourism Minister Jo Etienne Abela this week told Parliament though that the cap could be revised in the future if circumstances require, while insisting the current strategy for the island will remain in place.Replying to a parliamentary question by PL MP Ramona Attard, Abela said the cap was not fixed and could be lowered, increased or otherwise adjusted if necessary.It is not something that can't be revised, Abela said. If there is a need for this capping to be revised - whether lowered, increased or adjusted - we have no problem doing this as a government.However, Abela stressed that he intends to continue implementing the strategy for Comino launched by his predecessor, Ian Borg. I intend on sticking with the strategy, he said, while adding that 4,000 is not a magic number that must be kept.Abela argued that Comino had remained largely unregulated for decades despite being one of Malta's most popular attractions for both tourists and residents. He said the visitor cap was introduced following extensive discussions with stakeholders over recent years.It perhaps shouldn't come as a surprise that the visitor cap can be changed: at the end of the day this isn't established in some law which requires parliamentary debates, but was a policy direction taken by the MTA - which means that it can be amended.The greatest issue at present is that while the cap is indeed in place, we have no way of knowing whether that cap is actually enough, or too big, or too small. That's because a carrying capacity study which determines how many people Comino can actually handle has never been published.The government has consistently refused to publish the study, denying several Freedom of Information requests to this end. This means that there is no way for the public to actually verify that what is in place in Comino now is actually what is best for the area.It means that there is no transparency, and therefore no way for anyone to make sure that the government can be held accountable for the area.All we have is our eyes, and while the pictures and videos don't make for convincing viewing in terms of whether the crowd limits are enough - our eyes aren't going to give the scientific results and statistics that will tell us the full story.The people, though, deserve to know the full story, and all the details that come with it.