Concerns expressed by hoteliers about the sustainability of the large number of tourists visiting the Maltese Islands were on Sunday expressed as "almost ironic" by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. 

In a brief telephone interview on the Labour Party's radio station, Dr Muscat said that he “smiled” when he heard the warning sounded by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.

Concerns about "over-tourism" were sounded last Friday during a periodic MHRA news conference in which it outlined the performance of its members during the first three months of this year.

While welcoming an 18.8% increase in tourists over 2017, hoteliers called for a study to establish the maximum number of tourists that Malta could cope with, due to its limited geographical size and high population density.

MHRA president Tony Zahra remarked that the time was ripe to start focusing on sustainability and “responsible tourism” rather than numbers.

“Those responsible for planning tourism must be careful to ensure that tourists or locals do not destroy what tourists have come to see. One must, therefore, take all necessary precautions to avoid killing the goose that lays the golden egg,” Mr Zahra had said.

In his reaction, the Prime Minister said that he understood this concern, but pointed out that such fear was also testament to the big change that happened in Malta following Labour’s election to government in 2013.

“We have gone from a situation where people were complaining of lack of job opportunities to one where employers cannot find enough workers,” he said.

“We will face such problems, sort them out and the end result will be of more job opportunities,” the Prime Minister remarked.

Commenting on the most significant events of last week, Dr Muscat emphasised on the need for continuous respect for the country’s institutions, even at times when one might disagree with their course of action.

The Prime Minister made this remark in reaction to the solidarity march held on Saturday in support of police officer Simon Schembri who was the victim of a harrowing traffic accident.

Dr Muscat said that efforts to improve working conditions in the police force were underway but he did not give details. However, he said that certain measures implemented by the Labour government such as compensation for unpaid overtime going back more than 20 years and the right to enrol in a trade union had been moves in the right direction.