New all-inclusive resorts, hostels barred under new tourist accommodation rules
The rules, also restricting low-end hotels, will come into force in June
New applications for all-inclusive resorts and most hostels will be barred under new rules set to come into effect in June.
The reform will also prohibit new applications for one or two-star hotels, while a controversial existing measure allowing hotel developments to exceed local plan heights by two floors will be rolled back.
The reform comes off the back of a public consultation launched last November.
A legal notice published on Wednesday sets out a series of measures aimed at improving the quality of Malta’s tourism offering.
According to the law, tourism authorities will no longer license new all-inclusive resorts and tourist villages, often associated with low-spending visitors.
New hostels will also be banned unless they form part of an educational institution, the rules say. Hostel developments within a residential area will be capped at 40 beds, with this limit also set for existing hostels applying for an extension.
The rules also introduce tighter measures on hotels in an effort to up their standards.
Under the new rules, tourism authorities will now only licence three, four or five-star hotels, effectively barring lower-rated hotels.
New applications for hotels will only be considered if the plot has a minimum façade width of 25 metres. Authorities say this will eliminate the prospect of hotels cropping up in pencil buildings.
New applications for large-hotel developments with over 200 bedrooms will also be barred.
Most significantly, a controversial measure allowing hotels to exceed local plan height limits by two floors will be scrapped.
The reform also introduces a series of new special labels for tourist accommodation.
These include boutique hotels which, although often mentioned, had never been formally recognised as a separate accommodation category. A luxury boutique label will also be created for top-end boutique properties.
Another new label, titled diffuso, will be given to accommodation comprising multiple dispersed small properties within an urban conservation area. This label will allow several separate properties within a village core to form part of a single complex, with main reception facilities being offered from a single building.
Meanwhile, new guesthouses will only be permitted if they are located within an urban conservation area or are a scheduled property or building of special character. Authorities say they hope this will help push renovations of older properties in village cores.
Guesthouses will also be capped at 20 bedrooms and 40 beds, down from the previous limits of 30 bedrooms and 60 beds. The rules also introduce stricter design standards for guesthouses, including obliging them to include an ensuite bathroom for each bedroom.
Applications including dormitories will also be barred outright.
According to tourism authorities, the new legal notice will also codify several existing measures, previously only forming part of policy documents, into law, making enforcement of breaches more straightforward.