Malta Independent

Summer tourism

The summer tourism season will soon be upon us.

Last year, over three million tourists visited the Islands, more than the number that Malta had seen in 2019. This showed that Malta’s tourism sector has made a full recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

But there is a need to plan the way forward. Should Malta continue aiming to increase tourist numbers, is one question that needs to be asked. Malta is, after all, small. Whether we like it or not, there is limited space on beaches. There are limited areas for tourists to visit. There are also environmen­tal concerns when it comes to the amount of visitors to particular areas around the country. While Malta has done well to increase the spread of tourists over different seasons, summer still sees massive tourism numbers within a short period.

The quality vs quantity debate has long been discussed in the country. The focus now should be on attracting tourists who can spend more. If that happens, then that means that we would not need to keep increasing tourism numbers. Malta’s hotels are, generally, already of high quality, and the selection of restaurant­s is fantastic.

While Malta relies on tourism, and it always has, we are reaching a point where going to the beach in summer isn’t as fun as it once was for locals. Too much space is taken up by sun bed operators, for instance, and beaches are far too crammed.

When it comes to Comino, there are concerns regarding the sheer amount of foot traffic on the island from an environmen­tal perspectiv­e. On this point, perhaps a debate on limiting the number of visitors needs to be held once again.

Most tourists use public transport or taxis, and connectivi­ty between different areas of the country through the use of sea transport has also improved. But traffic remains a problem due to the sheer number of cars on the road. Being stuck in traffic isn’t fun for us who live here, nor is it fun for tourists.

In order to improve the efficiency and appeal of public transport, traffic needs to be reduced. But for that to happen, the appeal of using public transport needs to be improved. It’s a problem that goes around in circles. People in Malta love their cars far too much, and the Government has done little to put a dent in the number of vehicles on the road.

Malta has many beautiful features, and there are so many historic sites within a small distance that the appeal to visit is there. The problem is that there is a contrast between the Malta exhibited abroad, and the reality once people arrive.

We are talking here about the overall look of the country. One would see photos of the beautiful streets of Valletta, Birgu and Mdina, but then come to the Island and see rows of aesthetica­lly displeasin­g apartments in other parts of the Island. Aesthetics matter, and the importance of ensuring that buildings look good aesthetica­lly and have some uniformity to the building next to it must not be overlooked. In this regard, the Island has a long way to go.

This will also affect tourism.