Editing Comino

{{Short description|Maltese island}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}{{Infobox islands
| name               = Comino
| local_name         = Kemmuna
| image_name         = Sudika Kemmuna.jpg
| image_caption      = Aerial view of Comino
| map_image          = Comino-Malta.svg
| image_map_caption  = Map of Maltese islands highlighting Comino
| coordinates        = {{coord|36|00|41|N|14|20|12|E|region:MT|display=inline,title}}
| location           = between [[Gozo]] and [[Malta (island)|Malta]], south of [[Sicily]], [[Mediterranean Sea]]
| pop                = 
| archipelago        = [[Maltese Islands]]
| waterbody          = [[Mediterranean Sea]]
| total_islands      = 2
| major_islands      = Cominotto
| area_km2           = 3.5
| area_footnotes     = 
| rank               = 3
| length_km          = 2.63
| length_footnotes   = 
| width_km           = 2.04
| width_footnotes    = 
| coastline_km       = <!-- or |coastline_m=  -->
| coastline_footnotes = 9.5
| elevation_m        = 35
| elevation_footnotes = 
| highest_mount      = 
| country            = {{flag|Malta}}
| country_admin_divisions_title = [[Regions of Malta|Region]]
| country_admin_divisions = [[Gozo (region)|Gozo]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Local councils of Malta|Local council]]
| country_admin_divisions_1 = [[Għajnsielem]]
| population         = 2
| population_as_of   = 2020
| population_footnotes = <ref name="population"/>
| population_rank    = 3
| population_rank_max = 3
| density_km2        = 0.57
| density_rank       = 3
| density_footnotes  = 
| ethnic_groups      = [[Maltese people]]
| timezone1          = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1        = +1
| timezone1_DST      = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +2
| website            = 
| additional_info    = 
| map                = Malta
}}

'''Comino''' ({{langx|mt|Kemmuna}}) is a small island of the [[Maltese archipelago]] between the islands of [[Malta (island)|Malta]] and [[Gozo]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], measuring {{convert|3.5|km2|sqmi|sigfig=2}} in area. Named after the [[cumin]] seed, the island has a permanent population of only two residents and is part of the municipality of [[Għajnsielem]], in southeastern Gozo, from where one priest and one policeman commute. The island is a [[bird sanctuary]] and [[nature reserve]] ([[Natura 2000]] marine protected area).<ref>{{Natura 2000|num=MT0000017 |desc=Kemmuna u l-Gżejjer ta' Madwarha |access-date=7 October 2022}}</ref>

== Environment ==

The island has a [[karst]] landscape supporting [[sclerophyll]]ous [[shrubland]]. Some limited [[afforestation]] with [[pine]] trees has been carried out. The [[dune|sand-dunes]] at Santa Maria bay retain some native vegetation, including ''[[Vitex]]'' and ''[[Tamarix]]'' trees. The island has been identified as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] because it supports fifty to eighty breeding pairs of [[yelkouan shearwater]]s.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://www.birdlife.org |title=Comino Island |access-date= 2013-08-07 |work=Important Bird Areas factsheet |publisher=BirdLife International |year=2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130805171503/http://www.birdlife.org/ |archive-date=2013-08-05 }}</ref>

==History==
Formerly called '''Ephaestia''' (Ἡφαιστεία in [[Ancient Greek]]),<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=OLANAAAAQAAJ&dq=Castellania+palace&pg=PA79 The historical guide to the island of Malta and its dependencies]. p. 79.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Ciantar|first=Giovannantonio|date=1772|title=Malta illustrata|volume=1-2|publisher=Stamperia del Palazzo di S.A.S. MDCCLXXII, by Giovanni Mallia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OClXAAAAcAAJ&q=Palazzo+Carafa+Malta&pg=PP12|pages=370–371}}</ref> Comino is known to have been inhabited by farmers during [[History of Malta#Roman rule|Roman times]], but for long periods in its history it has been sparsely populated, privately owned, or abandoned entirely.<ref name= EvB>{{cite web| author-link= Evarist Bartolo | last= Bartolo| first= Evarist| year= 2013| url= http://www.imperialbandclub.com/magazine/2013/evaristbartolo.pdf| title= X' taf fuq Kemuna?| website= imperialbandclub.com| access-date= 19 July 2016}}</ref> Its rugged coastline is delineated by sheer [[limestone]] cliffs, and dotted with deep caves which were popular with [[pirate]]s and marauders in the [[Middle Ages]]. The caves and coves of Comino were frequently used as staging posts for raids on hapless boats crossing between Malta and Gozo.<ref name=tourism/> From 1285 until some time after 1290, Comino was the home of exiled Jewish prophet and [[Kabbalist]] [[Abraham Abulafia]].<ref>https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/26105 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> It was on Comino that Abulafia composed his ''Sefer ha-Ot'' (The Book of the Sign), and his last work, ''Imre Shefer'' (Words of Beauty).<ref name= EvB /><ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-02-10/news/hidden-traces-of-jewish-presence-in-mediaeval-malta-3911155715/| work= [[Malta Independent]]| title= Hidden traces of Jewish presence in mediaeval Malta| date= 10 February 2014| access-date= October 11, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Malta - Ghajnsielem - Comino - Quarantine station (St. Mary's Tower) 01 ies.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The building purposely built as barracks, later used for quarantine and hospital]]

In later years, the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of Malta]] used this island as hunting and recreational grounds.  The Knights were fiercely protective of the local game, which consisted of [[wild boar]] and [[hare]]s (Maltese: ''fenek tal-grixti''): upon conviction, poachers were liable to a penalty of three years as a [[galley slave]].<ref name=tourism>{{cite web| url= http://www.visitmalta.com/en/gozo_comino/goz_comino/goz_comino.html |website= visitmalta.com| publisher= Malta Tourism Authority| title= Comino| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070109141930/http://www.visitmalta.com/en/gozo_comino/goz_comino/goz_comino.html |archive-date=2007-01-09 }}</ref> In the 16th and 17th centuries, Comino served as a place of imprisonment or exile for errant knights. Knights who were convicted of minor crimes were occasionally sentenced to the lonely and dangerous task of manning [[Saint Mary's Tower|St. Mary's Tower]].<ref name= EvB />

During the [[French occupation of Malta]], Comino served as a quarantine and existing buildings served as an isolation hospital.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Storja/Storja1998/06s.pdf| via= melitensiawth.com| title= Human Suffering During the Maltese Insurrection of 1798| first= Charles| last= Savona-Ventura| page= 50| publisher= Malta University Historical Society| work= Storja| year= 1998| access-date= October 11, 2019| archive-date= 5 July 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160705090139/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Storja/Storja1998/06s.pdf| url-status= dead}}</ref> The island served as a temporary prison site before a decision on the accused was taken.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20171217/life-features/An-unknown-description-of-Malta-s-surrender-in-June-1798-by-Giovanni-N.665897| website= [[Times of Malta]]| title= An unknown description of Malta's surrender in June 1798 by Giovanni Nicolò Muscat| first= William| last= Zammit| date= December 16, 2017 }}</ref>

On 6 March 1889 the British battleship [[HMS Sultan (1870)|HMS ''Sultan'']] grounded on an uncharted rock in the Comino Channel, ripping her bottom open.<ref name=Gossett>Gossett (1986), p.133.</ref> She slowly flooded and, in a gale on 14 March 1889 she slipped off the rock and sank. The Italian firm of Baghino & Co raised her in August 1889 for a fee of £50,000.<ref name=Gossett/> On 27 August, ''Sultan'' was brought into Malta.<ref name=Gossett/><ref>{{cite journal| title= The ''HMS Sultan'' Disaster at Comino| first= David| last= Dandria| journal= [[Melita Historica]]| year= 2009| volume= XV| number= 2| pages= 181–202| url= http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.15(2008-11)/MH.15(2009)2/04.pdf| via= melitensiawth.com| access-date= October 11, 2019| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160416144456/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.15(2008-11)/MH.15(2009)2/04.pdf| archive-date= April 16, 2016| url-status= dead}}</ref>

In the 1920s, the island was leased by the [[Crown Colony of Malta|British colonial government]] to the Zammit Cutajar family, which established the Comino Farming Company. Around {{convert|162|ha|acre}} of land were brought under cultivation, growing various crops and fruit orchards as well as snails which were exported to Italy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://cometocomino.com/history/|title=History|publisher=Come to Comino|access-date=4 June 2023}}</ref> The island's population peaked at around 80 people in the late 1940s, including a number of migrants from Sicily. The island had no electricity and the population largely engaged in subsistence farming, as well as fishing and bird-hunting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/far-from-the-hustle-and-bustle.100525|title=Far from the hustle and bustle|newspaper=Times of Malta|date=31 January 2005|access-date=4 June 2023}}</ref>

In 1960, the farming company's lease was revoked and the British government controversially granted a 150-year lease of the island to John Gaul, a British property magnate, on a near-[[peppercorn rent]] of £100 per year ({{inflation|UK|100|1960|fmt=eq|r=-2}}). The terms of the lease obliged Gaul's Comino Development Ltd to establish a 200-room hotel on Comino by 1963. The lease was later renegotiated to a smaller area encompassing the current Comino Hotel at San Niklaw Bay and the bungalows at Santa Marija Bay.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/121130/comino_story_how_big_business_got_its_share_of_paradise|title=Comino story: how big business got its share of paradise|newspaper=Malta Today|date=9 February 2023|access-date=4 June 2023|first=James|last=Debono}}</ref>

{{As of|2023}}, Comino has a permanent population of only two residents, following the deaths of two other residents in 2017<ref>{{cite news|title=Comino loses one of its four residents|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170507/local/comino-loses-one-of-its-four-residents.647339|work=[[Times of Malta]]|date=7 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507174501/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170507/local/comino-loses-one-of-its-four-residents.647339|archive-date=7 May 2017}}</ref> and 2020.<ref name="population">{{cite news|title=Anglu Vella, one of Comino's last residents, passes away|url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2020-12-11/local-news/Anglu-Vella-one-of-Comino-s-last-residents-passes-away-6736229362|work=[[The Malta Independent]]|date=11 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213155240/https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2020-12-11/local-news/Anglu-Vella-one-of-Comino-s-last-residents-passes-away-6736229362|archive-date=13 December 2020}}</ref>

==Buildings and structures==
===St Mary's Tower===
[[File:Cominotower.jpg|thumb|left|A view of the Saint Mary's Tower dominating the coastline]]

{{main|Saint Mary's Tower}}

[[Saint Mary's Tower]] is the most visible structure on the island.  Its background dates back to 1416, when the [[Maltese people|Maltese]] petitioned their king, [[Alfonso V of Aragon]], to build a tower on Comino to serve as an early warning system in case of invasion, and to deter marauding Turks, pirates, smugglers and [[Barbary corsairs|corsairs]] from using Comino as a hiding place and staging ground for devastating sorties onto the sister islands of Malta and Gozo.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://geocities.com/rpulli/comino.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052006/http://geocities.com/rpulli/comino.html| url-status= dead| archive-date= 2009-10-27| first= R. |last= Pullicino| title= Comino}}</ref> Two years later the king levied a special tax on imported wine to raise funds for this project, but diverted the monies into his coffers; the island remained undefended for another two hundred years.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.educ.um.edu.mt/militarymalta/html/st__mary_s_tower.html |first= Christian| last= Formosa| title= St. Mary's Tower| work= A Military History of Malta| via= um.edu.mt}}</ref>

Finally, in 1618 the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of Malta]] under [[Alof de Wignacourt|Grandmaster Wignacourt]] erected St Mary's Tower (Maltese: ''it-Torri ta' Santa Marija''), located roughly in the center of the southern coast of the island.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.ghajnsielem.com/places/comino.html |publisher= Għajnsielem Local Council| title= Places of Interest| archive-url= https://archive.today/20120604174431/http://www.ghajnsielem.com/places/comino.html |archive-date=2012-06-04 }}</ref>  The tower formed part of a chain of defensive towers — the [[Wignacourt towers|Wignacourt]], [[Lascaris towers|Lascaris]], and [[De Redin towers]] — located at vantage points along the coastline of the Maltese Islands, and greatly improved communications between Malta and Gozo.  The tower is a large, square building with four corner turrets, located about {{cvt|80|m||sigfig=1}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]]. The tower itself is about {{cvt|12|m|sigfig=2}} tall, with walls that are approximately {{cvt|6|m||sigfig=1}} thick, and it is raised on a platform and plinth that are approximately {{cvt|8|m|sigfig=1}} high.<ref name="dinlarthelwa.org">{{cite web| url= http://www.dinlarthelwa.org/propertydetail.asp?id=8 |author= Din l-Art Ħelwa| title= Santa Marija Tower in Comino| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070928222656/http://www.dinlarthelwa.org/propertydetail.asp?id=8 |archive-date= 2007-09-28 }}</ref>

During the [[Siege of Malta (1798–1800)|French Blockade]] (1798&ndash;1800), St Mary's Tower served as a prison for suspected spies. In 1829 the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] Military abandoned the site. For several decades it was deemed to be property of the local civil authorities, and might have been used as an isolation hospital, or even as a wintering pen for farm animals.<ref name="dinlarthelwa.org"/><ref name= EvB /> The tower again saw active service during both [[World War I]] and [[World War II]]. Since 1982 the tower has been the property of the [[Armed Forces of Malta]]. It now serves as a lookout and staging post to guard against [[contraband]] and the [[illegal hunting]] of [[migratory birds]] at sea. The tower underwent extensive restoration between 2002 and 2004. Today, it remains the most notable structure on Comino.

===Comino chapel===
[[File:Kapelle auf Comino.jpg|thumb|right|[[Comino Chapel]]]]
{{main|Comino Chapel}}

A chapel dedicated to the Assumption of St Mary existed in the proximity of the Bay of St Mary since at least 1296. Indeed, it was this chapel which gave the bay its name and not opposite.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Festa Santa Marija|last=Attard|first=Anton F|date=2012|title=Il-Castrum Terre Gaudisii u l-Origini tal-Matrici tal-Assunta f'Ghawdex|url=https://www.yumpu.com/it/document/read/51521541/gawdex-leone-philharmonic-society/9|issue=9|pages=70–77|publisher=Leone Philharmonic Society}}</ref>

A [[Roman Catholic]] chapel dedicated to the [[Comino Chapel|Holy Family Upon its Return from Egypt]] is located above Santa Marija Bay. Built in 1618, and enlarged in 1667 and again in 1716, the chapel was originally dedicated to the [[Annunciation]]. It has been deconsecrated and reconsecrated at least once in its history, when Comino was devoid of residents. The earliest record of a chapel on this site dates back to the 12th century, and can be seen in a navigational map of the period, located in the [[National Maritime Museum]] and [[Royal Observatory, Greenwich|Royal Observatory]] in [[Greenwich]], [[London]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.gozo.gov.mt/pages.aspx?page=566| publisher= Ministry for [[Gozo]]| title= il-Gżira ta' Kemmuna| website= gozo.gov.mt| date= | access-date= | archive-date= 31 May 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090531104608/http://www.gozo.gov.mt/pages.aspx?page=566| url-status= dead}}</ref>

In the past, and well into the 20th century, whenever the seas were too rough for the Gozitan priest to make the crossing to Comino for the celebration of [[Holy Mass]], the local community would gather on the rocks at a part of the Island known as ''Tal-Ħmara'', and gaze across the channel towards the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rocks (Maltese: ''il-Madonna tal-Blat''), in Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Gozo, where Mass was being celebrated. They followed along with the progression of the Mass by means of a complex flag code.

===Saint Mary's Battery and Redoubt===
[[File:Santa Marija Battery 2016 2.JPG|thumb|right|Two retrieved cannons at the [[Saint Mary's Battery]]]]
{{main|Saint Mary's Battery|Saint Mary's Redoubt}}

[[Saint Mary's Battery]], built in 1716, at the same time as various other batteries around the coastline of mainland Malta and Gozo, is situated facing the South Comino Channel. It is a semi-circular structure with a number of embrasures facing the sea. The Battery still houses two 24-pound iron [[cannon]], and remains in a fair state of preservation mainly due to its remote location. Its armament originally included four 6-pound iron cannon. The Battery underwent restoration in 1996 by ''[[Din l-Art Ħelwa]]''. [[Saint Mary's Redoubt]], an additional defensive structure, was also constructed in 1716 on the northern coast of Comino, however it was subsequently demolished.<ref>{{cite book| url= http://www.educ.um.edu.mt/militarymalta/html/comino.html#St.MaryTower |first= Christian |last= Formosa| chapter= Map of Comino| title= A Military History of Malta| via= educ.um.edu.mt| date= | access-date= }}</ref> The Knights also constructed army barracks on Comino. In the early 20th century the barracks were periodically used as an isolation hospital.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.sahha.gov.mt/showdoc.aspx?id=37&filesource=4&file=6_careaged.pdf| first= Joseph| last= Camilleri| title= l-Istorja tan-Nursing f'Malta| translator= Catherine Sharples| editor-first= Catherine| editor-last= Sharples| publisher= Republished online by Malta Ministry of Health| via= sahha.gov.mt| date= | access-date= | archive-date= 3 July 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090703113433/http://www.sahha.gov.mt/showdoc.aspx?id=37&filesource=4&file=6_careaged.pdf| url-status= dead}}</ref>

=== Contemporary structures ===
[[File:Malta - Ghajnsielem - Comino - Hotel (Keppel) 03 ies.jpg|thumb|Comino Hotel in 2014]]
The ''Comino Hotel'' was built in the 1960s above San Niklaw Bay.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/the-tiny-island-of-comino-and-its-contribution-to-maltese-sport.887470| title = The tiny island of Comino and its contribution to Maltese sport| date= July 18, 2021 | first= Kevin| last= Azzopardi| website= timesofmalta.com| publisher= | access-date= September 27, 2022}}</ref> There are also holiday bungalows by the Santa Marija Bay. The hotel is being rebuilt by Hili Ventures Ltd (run by Melo Hili) with an investment of €120m and set to be completed in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-30|title=Comino Hotel|url=https://www.cominoferryservice.com/comino-hotel/| website= cominoferryservice.com |publisher=Ebsons Comino Ferries|language=en-GB| access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref> The project is for the 100-room Comino Hotel to be demolished and replaced by a 70-room hotel and 19 bungalows. The [[environmental impact assessment]] of the project noted the negative impact of extraction of rock and soil from the site, and the loss of habitat in both sites due to the change in location and the increased number of buildings, further encroaching on the surrounding [[garrigue]]. The project has yet to receive full planning and environmental permission. Hotel and bungalow village are expected to open by 2025.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://theshiftnews.com/2021/09/23/farewell-to-comino/ |title= Farewell to Comino| work= TheShiftNews.com| first= Blanche| last= Gatt| date= 23 September 2021| publisher= | access-date= 27 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2021-09-22/local-news/Comino-bungalows-will-be-for-sale-Environment-Impact-Assessment-indicates-6736236931| work= [[The Malta Independent]]| title= Comino bungalows will be for sale, Environment Impact Assessment indicates| first= Kevin |last= Schembri Orland | date= 22 September 2021| access-date= 27 September 2022}}</ref>

The [[Comino Police Station]] is located between the bungalows and the Comino Chapel. It is responsible for the small community and visitors, aided by the [[Malta Police Force]] in Malta and Gozo when necessary.

== Transport ==
Ferries provide transportation to Comino from either [[Malta]] or [[Gozo]], with scheduled boat trips departing from [[Ċirkewwa]] or [[Mġarr, Gozo|Mġarr]]. Schedules vary by season.<ref>{{cite web|title= Comino Ferry |url=https://www.cominoferryservice.com/services/comino-ferry/ |website= cominoferryservice.com| publisher= Ebsons Comino Ferries| date= | access-date=14 July 2021}}</ref> Providers offer boat taxi service from Blue Lagoon, Comino back to the mainlines as well as tours of the Santa Maria Caves in Comino.

== Economy ==
[[File:The Blue Lagoon.jpg|thumb|The Blue Lagoon]]
[[File:Malta_-_Ghajnsielem_-_Comino_-_Blue_Lagoon_Harbour_01_ies.jpg|thumb|Arrival of tourists at the Blue Lagoon]]
[[File:Malta_-_Ghajnsielem_-_Comino_-_Blue_Lagoon_Harbour_03_ies.jpg|thumb|Transport boats at the Blue Lagoon]]

=== Impact of tourism ===
Between Comino and the adjacent islet of [[Cominotto]] (Maltese: ''Kemmunett'') lie the transparent, [[cyan]] waters of the Blue Lagoon (Maltese: ''Bejn il-Kmiemen'', literally "Between the Cominos"). Frequented by large numbers of tourists and tour boats daily, the Blue Lagoon is a picturesque bay with a white sandy base and rich marine life. It is popular with divers, [[snorkeling|snorkelers]] and swimmers. Other beaches on Comino include Santa Maria Bay (Maltese: ''Ramla ta' Santa Marija'') and St. Nicholas Bay (Maltese: ''Bajja San Niklaw'').

The touristic over-exploitation of Comino, and in particular of the Blue Lagoon, became a matter of contention in the late 2010s. Despite regulations, at least seven illegal kiosks have sprung up on the coastline; none of them has a permit from the Malta Tourism Authority, and they are permanently parked on the spot, while they should be left on wheels and removed every day.<ref name=13Aug>{{cite news| url= https://theshiftnews.com/2022/08/13/the-battle-will-continue-public-joins-movement-graffitti-to-continue-fight-for-blue-lagoon/ |title= 'The battle will continue': public joins Moviment Graffitti to continue fight for Blue Lagoon| work= TheShiftNews.com| publisher= | first= Joanna| last= Demarco| date= 13 August 2022 | access-date= 27 September 2022}}</ref> Operators have also started deploying deckchairs and umbrellas in the Blue Lagoon sandy beach as early as 7 AM, filling up all public space. Cruise liners bringing hundreds of tourists on the spot are leading to a strong environmental impact (with loud music and trash left on the spot, attracting rats) and creeping privatisation of the former natural hotspot, while providing no upkeep of the bay.

Commercial interests and political connections have fostered the touristic exploitation of Comino. The deck-chair rentals at the Blue Lagoon are owned by Daniel Refalo, an associate of construction tycoon [[Joseph Portelli]], and by Mark Cutajar, brother of Labour MEP [[Josianne Cutajar]] and former canvasser for Gozo Minister [[Clint Camilleri]] in 2022,<ref>{{cite news| url= https://theshiftnews.com/2022/06/20/one-of-blue-lagoons-deckchair-operators-was-gozo-ministers-canvasser/ |title= One of Blue Lagoon's deckchair operators was Gozo minister's canvasser |work= TheShiftNews.com| publisher= | first= Julian| last= Delia| date= 20 June 2022 | access-date= 27 September 2022}}</ref><ref name=14june>{{cite news| url= https://theshiftnews.com/2022/06/14/the-two-deckchair-operators-at-blue-lagoon-joseph-portellis-associate-and-the-brother-of-a-labour-mep/ |title= The two deckchair operators at Blue Lagoon: Joseph Portelli's associate and the brother of a Labour MEP| author= The Shift Team |work= TheShiftNews.com| publisher= | first= | last= | date= 14 June 2022| access-date= 27 September 2022}}</ref> Back in 2016, Refalo and Cutajar claimed that they were being scapegoated, and that "the chaos that now exists in the Blue Lagoon... is part of a larger and deeper problem facing Maltese tourism".<ref>{{cite news| url= https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/Deckchairs-on-Comino.625334 |title= Deckchairs on Comino| date= 17 September 2016 | first1= Daniel |last1= Refalo| first2= Mark |last2= Cutajar | work= Times of Malta| publisher= | access-date= 27 September 2022}}</ref> Pleasure and Leisure Ltd, one of the companies running daily ferries to Comino under the brand Oh Yeah Malta, is owned by the father and uncles of Tourism Minister [[Clayton Bartolo]] from nearby [[Mellieħa]].<ref>{{cite news| url= https://theshiftnews.com/2022/06/17/tourism-ministers-father-extended-family-own-water-sports-ferry-business-with-interests-in-comino/ |title= Tourism minister's father, uncles, own water sports, ferry business with interests in Comino| quote= Pleasure and Leisure Ltd, owned by the family of Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, operates daily ferries to Comino |work= TheShiftNews.com| publisher= | first1= Joanna| last1= Demarco| first2= Julian |last2= Delia| date= 17 June 2022| access-date= 27 September 2022}}</ref> One of the kiosks, ''tal-Ekxa'', is run by Victor Refalo, a former Labour local councillor from [[Żebbuġ, Gozo]] and canvasser of Gozo Minister [[Clint Camilleri]].<ref name=13Aug/><ref name=8Aug>{{cite news| url= https://theshiftnews.com/2022/08/08/pa-at-a-loss-on-comino-illegalities-gozo-ministry-applies-for-better-access-to-illegal-kiosks/ |title= PA at a loss on Comino illegalities, Gozo ministry applies for better access to illegal kiosks| author= The Shift Team |work= TheShiftNews.com| publisher= | date= 8 August 2022| access-date= 27 September 2022}}</ref>

In early 2021, with the pretext of emergency procedures to prevent the road from caving in, the Gozo Ministry conducted illegal works to install a service culverts with manholes to pass utility services along the dirt road to the Blue Lagoon. According to the ministry, the culvert would eliminate the use of electricity generators, while denying that fixed kiosks were being planned for Blue Lagoon. Environmental activists including [[Friends of the Earth]] Malta noted that the works, later greenlighted by the Environment Resources Authority, had an impact on the natural surroundings, with excavation on trenches and widening of the track, and accused the authorities to attempt to legitimise illegal commercial activity.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/environment-authority-green-lights-controversial-comino-works.864333 | title= Environment Authority green lights controversial Comino works| work= Times of Malta| date= 12 April 2021| first= Fiona Galea| last= Debono| publisher= | access-date= 27 September 2022}}</ref> The works were welcomed by the illegal kiosk owners, including Refalo.<ref name=8Aug/> The Labour Party organising secretary, architect William Lewis, also applied to install a wooden walkway over the [[garrigue]] terrain leading to the kiosks and the Blue Lagoon; a permit is pending.<ref name=8Aug/>

Malta's [[Moviment Graffitti]] has denounced the overdevelopment and touristification, also conducting direct actions to remove the illegal deck-chairs and umbrellas in June and August 2022.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://theshiftnews.com/2022/06/11/activists-take-back-cominos-blue-lagoon-remove-all-deckchairs-from-beach/ |title= Activists take back Comino's Blue Lagoon, remove all deckchairs from beach |work= TheShiftNews.com| publisher= | first= Julian| last= Delia| date= 11 June 2022| access-date= 27 September 2022}}</ref><ref name=13Aug /> Graffitti called for a master plan for Comino that would limit activity on the island as well as set defined areas for operators.<ref name=14june/>

According to reports from March 2025, to address these issues, several restoration initiatives have been implemented. Ambjent Malta and the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) have collaborated on habitat restoration projects, including the removal of invasive species and planting of indigenous vegetation, aiming to enhance biodiversity and restore ecological processes.  Additionally, Friends of the Earth Malta is working to restore the historic Comino bakery, transforming it into an environmental education center to promote sustainable practices.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Restoration of the Comino Bakery |url=https://foemalta.org/comino/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=Friends Of the Earth Malta |language=en-GB}}</ref> Despite these efforts, concerns persist over proposed developments, such as the Comino Hotel project, which environmental organizations argue could harm the island's fragile ecosystem.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-17 |title=A second chance for Malta's paradise island turned 'hell on Earth' |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250314-a-second-chance-for-maltas-paradise-island-comino |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Baron |first=Shaun |date=2022-11-16 |title=ERA and Ambjent Malta continue the rehabilitation works in Comino |url=https://era.org.mt/press-releases/era-and-ambjent-malta-continue-the-rehabilitation-works-in-comino/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=ERA |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Film location ===
Comino has been used as a [[filming location]], including for ''[[Troy (film)|Troy]]'', ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo (2002 film)|The Count of Monte Cristo]]'' (in which St. Mary's Tower is featured as the prison fortress [[Château d'If]]) and ''[[Swept Away (2002 film)|Swept Away]]''.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[Evarist Bartolo|Bartolo, Evarist]] (2013). [http://www.imperialbandclub.com/magazine/2013/evaristbartolo.pdf X' taf fuq Kemuna?]. ''Għaqda Mużikali Imperial'' [Imperial Band Club Magazine]. pp.&nbsp;138–139. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160416144456/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.15(2008-11)/MH.15(2009)2/04.pdf HMS Sultan disaster]
* Gossett, William Patrick (1986). ''The Lost Ships of the Royal Navy, 1793–1900''. (London: Mansell). {{ISBN|0-7201-1816-6}}.

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Comino}}
* [https://www.cominoferryservice.com/ Gozo Comino Ferry]
* [http://malta.greatestdivesites.com/comino Dive sites in Comino]
* [http://www.maltauncovered.com/about-malta/comino/ Comino] &ndash; Travel guide on MaltaUncovered.com
* [http://www.unitedcominoferries.com/photos.html Comino, the Comino Caves & St. Mary's Tower] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508141348/http://www.unitedcominoferries.com/photos.html |date=8 May 2012 }} &ndash; Photos on UnitedCominoFerries.com

{{Malta Islands}}
{{Important Bird Areas of Malta}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Comino| ]]
[[Category:Għajnsielem]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Malta]]
[[Category:Islands of Malta]]