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Malta would not be able to handle the number of tourists needed to fill hotels that are in operation or in the pipeline, the tourism minister has said.

Clayton Bartolo was reacting to a study that found that the country would need to attract 4.7 million tourists a year to maintain 80% hotel occupancy. 

"Malta cannot handle that number of tourists and neither is the government trying to attract those numbers," Bartolo told journalists on Thursday.

“We want to make sure that every person who visits the country has a good experience and this is where sustainability comes in,” Bartolo said.

He said he was encouraging investors to explore new avenues when it comes to tourism.

“We strongly encourage them to do their homework and make sure that they can sustain the investment in the hotels that they build,” he said.

“Besides, there are other types of investment that can be made in the industry that aren’t necessarily hotels.

“The Malta Tourism Authority and the government are promoting other niches that will no doubt yield the desired returns.”

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY TIMES OF MALTA

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