PN calls for carrying-capacity plan as power cuts hit tourism
Opposition party accuses government of damaging Malta's tourism reputation
The Nationalist Party has called for a national carrying-capacity plan assessing what Malta could sustainably accommodate across sectors, including tourism, both now and in the coming years, amid widespread power cuts.
The PN accused the government of damaging Malta's tourism reputation through its failure to address recurring power cuts.
PN deputy leader and tourism spokesperson Alex Perici Calascione said tourists being forced to leave a Valletta hotel and sleep on the rocks after the property lost electricity exposed the impact of inadequate infrastructure on the tourism industry.
The hotel was left without air conditioning, while some electronic room doors could not be opened, he said.
Perici Calascione said the incident came as the government indicated that Malta could attract 4.5 million tourists this year – a figure previously projected for 2035.
“Growth without serious planning inevitably brings consequences,” he said, arguing that population and tourism growth had pushed the country’s infrastructure and essential services to the brink.
The outages were harming tourists, residents and operators who had invested heavily in improving their businesses, he said.
Perici Calascione said government rhetoric about shifting from tourist numbers to quality was being undermined by repeated infrastructural failures.
“The time for fine words is over,” he said. “The government must act.”