Fewer tourists and more power for local councils: ADPD pushes for tourism reform

ADPD believes Malta must cut tourist numbers, curb hotel development incentives and give local councils greater powers over short-let properties, saying tourism has reached unsustainable levels.

The party made the proposals during a press conference in Mellieħa Square, where it also called for stronger protection of public access to the countryside.

ADPD chairperson Sandra Gauci said tourism had been allowed to grow unchecked, with its negative impact on residents now outweighing its benefits.

Gauci is running in the sixth and twelfth districts. 

She said the strain was most visible in summer, when infrastructure struggled to cope, waste collection became inefficient and public spaces were increasingly taken over by tourism-related activity.

Gauci said the country could not continue planning for ever-increasing visitor numbers, particularly when existing and planned hotels would require even more tourists to operate at full capacity.

“Above all, we must aim for a reduction in tourist numbers and focus on quality tourism to address the damage tourism is causing,” she said.

ADPD said the Planning Authority should stop giving preferential treatment to hotel developments, including permits allowing hotels to add extra storeys. The law was amended just last month to end that special dispensation for hotels. 

ADPD also said pavements and public squares should be returned to residents, arguing that tables and chairs placed outside catering establishments often block access for pedestrians.

It said it supported residents’ campaigns focused on such issues.

Gauci also said local councils should play a central role in regulating tourism in their areas. ADPD is proposing that all the eco-tax collected in a locality should go directly to that locality’s council, to help offset the pressure caused by tourism. 

The party also said residential properties should not be used for short-let rentals unless approved by the local council.

Gauci said overtourism was also feeding construction pressures, both through hotel development and through residential properties being bought or built for short-let use rather than for local residents.

ADPD public relations officer Brian Decelis, a candidate on the third and fourth districts, said access to the countryside should be better protected.

He said public passageways should remain accessible to all, including those found on public land leased to farmers.

Decelis called for the publication of a map identifying all definitive public passageways, as well as the setting up of a national agency to oversee existing and future trails in local plans.

He proposed setting up Malta's first National Trail along the Victoria Lines.