Community support projects for Valletta, Swieqi as overtourism concerns grow
Ian Borg to meet local councils
Tourism community support projects are to be launched in Swieqi and Valletta to help the two localities balance the needs of their residents and tourists.
Ian Borg, the minister of foreign affairs and tourism, will be discussing the proposed pilot projects this week with the local council of the two localities.
His ministry said the pilot projects will help residents in tourism zones tackle challenges related to waste management, public order, the management of holiday accommodations and long-let rental properties.
"Through this initiative, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism is working with other ministries to provide targeted support to Swieqi and Valletta, two localities that experienced increased tourism activity in recent years. Based on the results of this pilot, this support can then be extended to other tourism zones across Malta and Gozo," the ministry said.
“We want to help local councils implement tangible solutions to the unintended impacts of tourism on our communities,” Borg said, adding that “by working together, and providing the required resources, we will ensure that residents continue to benefit from the success of tourism, while safeguarding their quality of life.”
A number of Swieqi residents held a protest late last month, complaining about the burden that "overtourism" had imposed on their neighbourhood. They called for stronger law enforcement, tighter regulation of short-term rentals, and a return to residential peace.
A British travel writer and expert on Malta recently warned that the country could be the next victim of overtourism.
In her contribution to a Daily Telegraph article titled ‘The fastest-growing travel destinations – and the countries nobody wants to visit’, Telegraph Travel’s Juliet Rix speculated that Malta might be the next country to experience unrest due to overtourism, following protests in Venice, Barcelona and Dubrovnik.
“On recent visits, I’ve found Valletta uncomfortably full for the first time. The Maltese have always welcomed tourists and will probably continue to do so for the moment, but there is indeed now a risk of overtourism and all that that implies,” Rix wrote.