The concept of sustainable tourism has been on the cards for years, with every single red flag being ignored.
Now, the president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, Tony Zahra is trying a new tack. He is not warning about traffic, pollution, waste or overcrowding at tourism sites; he is talking about money.
He wants those who have invested or who plan to invest in tourism to understand that rampant growth might affect them where it hurts most: their pocket.
The argument he made in a Times of Malta interview was consistent with what he has been saying for some time but he honed in on the need for someone, somewhere to realise that the foolhardy few are poisoning the well others have been drinking out of for many years.
The issue is not the mythical three million annual arrivals threshold reached, nor the €3 billion in annual revenue that tourists spend. It is where to go from this point on. He was clear: the country has probably been “too successful” at attracting low-spending concertgoers and cruise liner visitors.
He had already said some time ago that one of the problems was the oversupply of beds and that 4.7 million arrivals would be needed to fill them.
And, yet, his warning has gone unheeded: the Planning Authority approved a staggering 99 applications for hotels and extensions, which would add 27,000 rooms to the current stock. Let us put that figure into context: in March 2024, there were 20,218 bedrooms… What we are talking about is not merely increasing but more than doubling the current, already worrying situation.
It is alarming even at the individual case level. Take just one: permits for two 14-storey three-star hotels in a two-metre-wide Sliema alley. What are the plans to manage drainage, energy and staffing?
These two hotels make you wonder what the investors have in mind since it will be a veritable feat to organise trucks to deliver laundry and food or to remove waste.
The Planning Authority case officer had recommended refusal and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage was against the demolition of the current houses. But the permits were still approved. They are now under appeal.
No wonder NGOs ask whether the nefarious intention is to deliberately set up projects for failure, using this as justification to turn the hotels into apartments.
Clearly, we cannot rely on the Planning Authority to do the right thing, so who can we rely on?
Zahra made it clear that the impact will be felt by all those who have invested in the past, affecting their ability to fill their own rooms, to sell them for a reasonable rate and, therefore, to remain profitable.
The National Statistics Office reported that the 3.7 percentage point increase in occupancy in the first quarter of this year did not reflect the more than 30 per cent increase in arrivals: this alone should worry many existing hoteliers and challenge what new investors hope to get out of this sector.
All the beautiful photos of tourism sites suddenly finding their way on social media will not fool anyone about the sordid reality. Sustainability is not about quantity but quality, about getting the same economic impact with less environmental and social impact.
It is about a long-term vision that will avoid a public backlash about misbehaving, inebriated tourists, cruise liners disgorging thousands of people and unlicensed short-term rentals whose tenants have no respect for the residents who live and work nearby.