As Malta’s tourist figures keep rising with last year hitting a record of 3.56 million tourist, the ongoing discussion about tourism in Malta seems to be focused about the transition from a tourism of quantity to a tourism of quality: supposedly with the aim of attracting tourists that spend more money. One critical issue involving this discussion is Malta’s carrying capacity which the government refuses to admit that Malta’s infrastructure is overburdened.
Another important issue which is being sidelined on the tourism debate is its contribution to the housing crisis. In an interview with the Minister for Tourism with Jon Mallia on his programme Il-Każin, Minister for Tourism Ian Borg said that the government was also looking at the prospect of outphasing three-star hotels in its current efforts to improve the quality of tourists. The Minister was heavily criticised for failing to provide figures on Malta’s carrying capacity and also those about Comino. However the Minister said that the ideal carrying capacity of Comino was around 1,ooo persons at one time.
The housing crisis doesn’t feature in this interview and debate. The increasing use of apartment rentals by tourists and the Air BnB phenomenon have contributed significantly to the exuberant increase in the price of housing. The transition to higher quality hotels and tourists will also contribute to price increases in property market.
The government needs a holistic and multi-pronged approach to address the housing crisis, but the issue is largely absent from its economic plans and vision. Instead, it continues to bury its head in the sand, refusing to challenge a construction lobby that has effectively taken control of government policy.
Website Editor
Historian and Publisher
Leave a Reply