Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has warned restaurants against profiteering during the Christmas season, after complaints of sales being low despite tables remaining busy. 

The Association of Catering Establishments previously told Times of Malta that despite people still coming out to eat, diners are spending less on their meals, with establishments reporting a reduction of around a fifth in sales. 

Speaking after visiting the staff at the Marriott Hotel on Christmas Eve, Bartolo said that while it is true costs have gone up across the board for restaurants, establishments should not seek to make an undue profit off their customers. 

“I have to advise restaurants and hotels to be cautious and not engage in profiteering despite their growing costs,” he said. 

“I understand that costs have gone up but one must provide value for money to their clients, be they Maltese or foreign,” Bartolo continued, 

“When a person goes to dine in a Michelin Star establishment, for example, they expect to pay a certain price. They cannot then go to another restaurant or a kiosk and find the same prices there. I believe everyone should uphold their distinct categories and price their services accordingly.” 

ACE general secretary Matthew Pace said that inflation was causing diners to penny pinch when going out for a meal and that where before a table may order a bottle of wine, they would much rather opt for it by the glass nowadays. 

Pace said that even entertainment hotspots like Sliema and St Julian’s are reporting dips in their profit margins and said that competing establishments “mushrooming” all over the island are also impacting the situation. 

Bartolo went on to say that, unlike in other countries where economic pressure has severely limited households from spending on dining out, the Maltese still have enough disposable income to visit restaurants with some regularity. 

“I understand that families stick to a budget and when there is an element of inflation they spend less money when they go out to eat,” he said. 

“In other countries, families aren’t going out at all because they cannot afford it. But in Malta the government’s assistance, primarily through energy subsidies, we can see from the wider context that families can still afford to go out.” 

He said that this is also a testament to the MTA’s efforts to attract more higher-spending tourists to the country in an effort to give the industry peace of mind while ensuring that tourists have a lower impact on the native community. 

Tourism numbers this year have reached around three million, Bartolo said, with a record spend of about €2.8 billion in total.