With the end of the summer season in sight, ADPD-The Green Party said that, “we are in a position to take stock of the season and draw some conclusions on the impact tourism has had on our country. This needs to be done after witnessing significant numbers of tourists choosing to visit Malta as their holiday destination.”

Chairperson Sandra Gauci said, “as we have seen for ourselves, these numbers have created much inconvenience to residents in tourist zones, who end up being victims to noise, trash, rowdiness and inappropriate behaviour of all kinds. This is the result of mass tourism and the result of marketing our country as a party island, giving tourists the impression that they can do what they want, dress (and undress) as they want, bother residents and other anti-social behaviour at all hours of the day and night.”

She stressed that “unfortunately, this is allowed because there is no enforcement. Areas across Malta and Gozo have become victims of incidents that could have been avoided if we had more enforcement. The truth is that there is hardly any enforcement on anything in this country. The people who have to live with the consequences are the residents, and it seems that the authorities have very little interest in their well-being. Their attitude is that as long as the economy is doing well, there is no need to bother with anything else.”

Sandra Gauci went on to say that, “St Paul’s Bay Local Council has approved a motion I proposed which asks government to transfer the eco-tax paid by tourists to the council. As a party we believe that this should apply to all towns and villages hosting tourist accommodation. It is indeed unfortunate that councillors from the Labour Party chose to engage in insults and voted against the interests of the residents of St Paul’s Bay.”

“I believe that once localities like ours are the major hubs in the tourist industry, it is more than justified to have these funds allocated to the local council. Localities like ours are the ones that bear the brunt of the mass tourism, such as noise, trash, and stress on the infrastructure, such as sewage systems. The residents of these localities are currently experiencing a decrease in the quality of life. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank all who supported me and the motion that I presented. This augurs well for more cooperation in the future,” Gauci concluded.

ADPD-The Green Party Secretary General Ralph Cassar added, “in addition to the proposal that the eco-tax goes directly to Local Councils, we are also proposing that the ridiculous capping of €5 be immediately removed, and that the rate of 50 cents per day be increased to a rate that makes sense, based on the impacts of tourism on our localities. We expect Tourism Minister Ian Borg to take immediate action.”

“We also propose the immediate withdrawal of the planning policy which gives hotels the possibility to increase two storeys above the height established in the local plans. The NSO reported a few days ago that in the second quarter of 2025 the number of tourists in hotels increased by 8.1% over the same period in 2024. It is clear that not only are there enough beds, but that this government’s policy is leading to overtourism, which does more damage than good,” he said.

Cassar insisted that “residents in tourist zones, quite rightly, no longer see tourists as a means of supporting the economy but see mass tourism as leading to a degradation of their quality of life. The government urgently needs to launch a study on Malta’s tourist carrying capacity. A study had already been carried out some years ago by MHRA and needs to be updated. Tourist beds need to decrease. In this context the government’s stated policy in the Vision 2050 document which shows that the government’s plan is to continue increasing tourists to 4.5 million per year by 2035 needs to be scrapped.”

Ralph Cassar concluded by asking, “how many apartments have been built as residences and are instead being used for tourist purposes without being registered and authorised for this purpose with the Tourism Authority? What will the government do effectively to curb abuses in the tourism industry that are pushing residents out of residential areas? When will the government set limits? When will the government choose to regulate effectively? Local Councils should play an important role. It is not possible to continue converting residences into tourist accommodation without the agreement of the affected local councils.”

Summary of proposals put forward by ADPD:

Eco-tax – rate higher than 50 cents per day, removal of €5 cap; eco-tax goes to local councils proportionately to tourists hosted in the locality;

Immediate withdrawal of the planning policy which gives the possibility for hotels to increase height by an extra two storeys;

An urgent study on carrying capacity; the planned increase in tourists to 4.5 million per year in Vision 2050 is withdrawn;

A policy to ensure that apartments built as residences to continue to be used as residences and not as tourist accommodation;

No residence is transformed into a tourist accommodation without the consent of the affected local councils.

Photo: ADPD

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