The only sandy beach in St. Paul’s Bay Area is the BUGIBBA PERCHED BEACH located on the side of the promenade in Dawret il-Gzejjer, in the main area between Qawra and Bugibba which is a complete touristic area.
In June 2006 a project to build a sandy beach at Bugibba started which was planned for completion just before summer 2006 according to the Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech. In fact it was among the first initiatives approved by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Tourism in order to improve the tourist product in the Bugibba area.
The sand used to fill in the perched beach was dispatched from Jordan on 9th June and arrived at Valletta in the holds of the cargo ship PIONEER SPIRIT that berthed at Laboratory Wharf.
Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech and Malta Tourism Authority chairman Romwald Lungaro Mifsud paid a visit to the beach project, which they said was progressing well during both years (2005/2006). Trenches had been dug the sub-base had been laid and retaining walls had been built all around the beach to prevent loss of sand.
In addition, an 80-metre ramp was being built to allow access for disabled people. The decision to construct the beach was taken after a study identified that the major thing lacking in the area was a sandy beach for tourists. Dr Zammit Dimech said that some 350,000 tourists visit Bugibba every year.
Ship PIONEER SPRIT was represented in Malta by Medsea Shipping Agency – http://www.medsea.com.mt
Photos by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Saturday 25th April,2020