A group of NGOs has criticised the new caps on tourist accommodation as “too little, too late,” warning that Malta’s tourism would need to double to fill all hotels already granted permits.
In a joint statement, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA), the Sliema Residents Association, Residenti Beltin, and the Malta Tourism Society welcomed the new tourism accommodation policies but said limits on hotel storeys and bedrooms remained “generous” compared to stricter measures abroad.
While acknowledging that tourism is “very important” for Malta, the NGOs cited international recommendations warning that once tourists exceed residents by 1.5 to 1, “stress increases.” In 2024, Malta received 3.56 million tourists, or 5.5 visitors per resident, with numbers already up 16.7% this year. In August 2024, St Julian’s recorded a tourist-to-resident ratio of 126.4, meaning visitors temporarily outnumbered locals by over a quarter.
“Limiting new hotel applications to 400 beds and removing the right to add two storeys are steps in the right direction, but they remain too little, too late,” the FAA said. “To fill all permitted hotels, tourism would need to rise from 3.56 million to seven million.”
The NGOs warned of growing pressure on beaches, infrastructure, transport, and waste management, and called for enforcement on short-let accommodation, 20% of which operate without an MTA licence. They urged a halt to new short-lets and large hotels in residential areas.
“Malta is now the most congested tourist destination in the EU. Is Government prepared to buy out tourism structures and return them to their natural state as in Palma de Majorca?” the FAA asked.
They said quality tourism would depend on enforcement, limiting new permits until carrying capacity studies are completed, and introducing measures such as community tourism fees, on-the-spot fines, and bans on hen and stag parties.
“Why is Malta the only European tourism hub to tolerate bad behaviour while police enforcement remains virtually non-existent?” they added.