Assessing the socio-economic impact of jellyfish blooms on tourists at various beaches/coastal locations around the Maltese islands

Abstract

Many initiatives and studies are currently being conducted in order to understand the pattern and trends of jellyfish aggregations. Med-Jelly Risk is the first initiative in the Mediterranean to assess the socio-economic impact of jellyfish blooms and implement mitigation measures. Malta, together with Italy, Spain and Tunis are also part of this initiative. This study, in collaboration with Med-JellyRisk and IOI-MOC Spot the Jellyfish initiative, was a preliminary attempt at assessing and investigating the socio-economic impact of jellyfish phenomenon on tourists around the Maltese Islands and to test the effectiveness of the Med-JellyRisk questionnaires.