Vandals target perched beach

Vandals have struck repeatedly at the perched beach in Bugibba, which beach is managed by the Malta Tourism Authority. In the space of ten days, just as the summer season is getting into gear, three separate incidents were reported.

On one occasion a stainless steel grid and wooden beam were stolen, whilst the refuse bins on the beach (attached to metal bars embedded in concrete) were all overturned and damaged at least twice. Last weekend the door of the beach’s public convenience was broken into whilst the deckchairs and beach beds of an adjacent establishment were all overturned. An MTA spokesperson commented that “these senseless acts of vandalism continue to hinder all our efforts to upgrade Malta and Gozo’s tourism product offer. We all know that the tourism industry is facing difficult times the world over.

In this challenging and highly competitive international environment, each and every tourism destination is taking pains to obtain a competitive edge, more often than not by upgrading infrastructure and maintaining a good standard of product on offer. Malta too is moving in this direction. However, vandalism of this sort that goes unchecked means that we need to continue committing resources to repair and maintain existing facilities, which resources could otherwise be spent embellishing and improving other areas”. The MTA is appealing to everyone to use public facilities responsibly and to report any incidents of vandalism to the pertinent authorities.