Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/855205
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 30 JULY 2017 11 MaltaToday Survey among under-35 year olds to 13% among over-55 year olds. And while only 23% of males try to get a tan, the percentage rises to 32% among females. 15% prefer the pool to the sea In a country which prides it- self on the beauty of its sea and beaches, 15% still prefer swim- ming in an artificial environment. Nearly a quarter (23%) of re- spondents who have under-10 year old kids prefer swimming in a pool to both sandy and rocky beaches. Younger respondents are also more likely to prefer swimming in a pool. While 20% of under-35 year olds prefer the pool to the beach, the percentage drops to 8% among 35- to 54-year olds and to 12% among over-55 year olds. Families with under-10 years old children are also more likely to prefer sandy beaches. In fact among this category 32% prefer sandy beaches, 23% prefer the pool and 46% prefer rocky beaches. Overall rocky beaches are more popular than sandy beaches. Wooden decks – no thank you Inspired by a plan to install wooden decking at Ghar Lapsi along with other services, the MaltaToday survey asked re- spondents whether they agree with the idea of making rocky beaches more accessibly by in- stalling wooden decks or whether they prefer leaving the beaches as they are except for basic in- frastructure like stairs and path ways. Agreement with wooden deck- ing on rocky beaches is highest among respondents who have young children (30%) and over-55 year olds (28%). But overall 71% reject the idea. Disagreement is strongest among under-35 year olds, 76% of whom reject the idea completely. Life's a beach The survey confirms that going to the beach is an integral part of Maltese summer life, to the ex- tent that 77% go to the beach at least once a week while 7% go to swim everyday. Only 17% go to the beach less than once a fort- night. The survey confirms that Mal- ta's largest beach, Ghadira, is the most popular among respond- ents, followed by Armier and Pretty Bay. But rocky beaches like Lapsi, Bahar ic-Caghaq, Ex- iles, Zonqor and Delimara are also popular. Ghar Lapsi emerges as the most popular rocky beach. 5% mentioned a hotel or a private lido as their favourite swimming location. Methodology The survey was held among 315 respondents randomly chosen from telephone directories, who were contacted by telephone. The results were weighed to reflect the age and sex balance of the popu- lation. The survey has a margin of error of +/-5.7%. Tourism authority goes after Qawra's illegal deckchairs IN a joint operation conducted by the Malta Tourism Authority and the Lands Authority, around 100 deckchairs and over 30 umbrellas were removed from Qawra Point, an area commonly known as Ta' Fra Ben. The deckchairs, umbrellas and umbrella bases, which filled two truckloads, had been found to be in breach of the terms and condi- tions of the applicable permits. "The relevant operators were in- formed on previous occasions that they were not operating in accord- ance with the permit terms and were advised to comply," the au- thorities said in a joint statement. "They were also warned that ac- tion would be taken if such non- compliance persisted." This joint action is part of the on- going drive aimed at ensuring that regulations are respected in full. Further actions have already been taken at Armier Bay and Little Armier. Operators in other locations in Malta and Gozo are voluntarily taking action, in order to regularise their position. "This joint action is therefore sending yet another clear message that the authorities are taking this matter seriously and that further abuse will not be tolerated," the MTA and Lands said. Do you know how to swim? (%) 18-34 35-54 55+ All Yes 100 96.3 92.2 96 No 0 3.7 7.8 4 How frequently do you go to swim? (%) 18-34 35-54 55+ All Never 0 1.2 1.1 0.8 Less than once a fortnight 8.3 13.4 25 16 Once a fortnight 6.3 3.7 6.7 6.4 Once a week 37.5 30.5 25.6 30.9 More than once a week 39.6 45.1 33.3 39 Every day 8.3 6.1 8.3 6.9 What do you read while on the beach? (%) 18-34 35-54 55+ All Newspapers 2 3.7 6.6 4.2 Magazines 8.2 4.9 8.2 7.2 Books 12.2 29.3 14.3 18.4 Nothing 77.6 62.1 70.9 70.2 Do you sunbathe? (%) 18-34 35-54 55+ M F All Yes 46.9 24.4 13.4 22.6 32.4 28.1 No 53.1 75.6 86.6 77.4 67.6 71.9 Do you prefer to swim in rocky beaches, sandy beaches or by a pool? (%) 18-34 35-54 55+ All Families with kids under 10 Rocks 53.1 62.7 60.4 57.8 45.5 Sand 26.5 28.9 27.3 27.7 31.8 Pool 20.4 8.4 12.3 14.5 22.7 At the beach do you... (%) 18-34 35-54 55+ All Hire a sun bed/ umbrella 36.7 23.5 25 28.5 Take your own deckchair/umbrella 22.4 40.7 20.5 27.4 Only take a towel 40.9 35.8 54.5 44.1 Should there be more or fewer lidos on public beaches where sun beds are put on the beach from early morning? (%) 18-34 35-54 55+ All More 6.1 6.1 4.4 5.5 Fewer 59.2 53.7 53.6 55.4 There are enough 32.7 37.8 31.5 33.9 Don't know 2 2.4 10.5 5.2 Should the coast be left as it is or made more accessible through wooden decks placed on rocks? (%) 18-34 35-54 55+ All Left as it is 75.5 69.5 69.2 71.3 Made more accessible 24.5 24.4 27.5 25.6 Don't know 0 6.1 3.3 3.1 Should nude bathing be allowed in one beach in Malta and Gozo? (%) 18-34 35-54 55+ All Yes 49 40.2 30.9 39.6 No 36.7 50 63 50.5 Don't know 14.3 9.8 6.1 9.9 Going to the beach is an integral part of Maltese summer life, to the extent that 77% go to the beach at least once a week while 7% go to swim every day