The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association has every right to be angry.
After years of hearing that Malta wants to move away from tourism based simply on numbers and towards a supposedly
“higher-value, higher-quality and more respectful” visitor, the events of last weekend raise an obvious question:
MHRA issued a strong statement following the incidents connected with party entertainment activities over the weekend,
warning that hotels, restaurants and other tourism operators spend all year investing in Malta’s reputation — only for that work
to potentially be undone within hours by scenes of disorder.
And on this occasion, MHRA has a very valid point.
What happened cannot simply be brushed aside
Freedom Street Europe brought a multi-day programme of concerts, club events and parties to Malta between
10 and 13 September.
Reports following the event described crowds attempting to enter venues without valid tickets, barriers being breached,
security struggling to maintain control and police eventually having to intervene.
The Friday after-party at UNO was cancelled, followed by the cancellation of the remaining official after-parties amid
safety and crowd-control concerns.
force their way into venues or behave as though Malta is a consequence-free playground.
Then came the scenes at KFC
Footage circulating online showed people going behind the counter of a KFC outlet in St Julian’s while staff appeared
unable to control the situation.
KFC management later explained that around 100 people entered the restaurant close to closing time and that several
customers jumped over the counter after becoming frustrated while waiting for food.
Importantly, the company said nothing was broken or stolen — so there is no need to exaggerate what happened.
The footage is disturbing enough without doing that.
Staff were trying to do their jobs. A counter is clearly not an area customers are entitled to enter.
Yet normal boundaries appeared to mean very little.
Businesses should not have to prepare for this kind of behaviour simply because Malta wants to maximise another weekend’s
visitor numbers.
And this was not an event Malta knew nothing about
Freedom Street Europe appeared on VisitMalta’s official events calendar, where it was promoted as a
four-day festival of dancehall, reggae and Caribbean music.
That is important.
Being listed by VisitMalta does not automatically mean the event received direct public funding, and unless
such funding is confirmed it would be wrong to claim otherwise.
But VisitMalta is Malta’s official tourism platform, operated within Malta’s tourism promotion structure.
And perhaps more importantly, was any additional marketing assistance, sponsorship, financial support or other public support
provided to this event?
If the answer is no, that can easily be clarified.
If the answer is yes, taxpayers deserve to know exactly what was provided.
MHRA is right to demand higher standards
MHRA has argued that party entertainment events should not qualify for public tourism funding and that organisers should
instead operate commercially while complying with strict standards covering security, crowd management, alcohol,
cleanliness, noise and respect for surrounding communities.
That is hardly an unreasonable position.
If thousands of people want to buy tickets, fly to Malta and attend them, organisers should be free to operate —
provided they can also properly manage the crowds they attract.
What should not happen is that organisers collect the revenue while Maltese businesses, residents, police and public services
are left carrying the consequences.
“Quality tourism” is not just about how much somebody spends
This is where Malta’s tourism debate too often goes wrong.
A visitor can spend hundreds — or thousands — of euros on flights, hotels, restaurants and entertainment and still behave
appallingly.
Spending power alone does not make somebody a “quality tourist”.
Most tourists visiting Malta behave perfectly well. Most festival-goers do too.
This should therefore not become an attack on tourists generally, or on any nationality or community.
The issue is behaviour — and whether Malta’s tourism strategy is encouraging the right kind of behaviour in the first place.
Malta needs accountability, not another press release
The incidents should not now disappear from the headlines until the next event causes similar problems.
There are several straightforward questions that deserve answers.
Organisers should carry the cost — not residents
Malta Gone Wild believes large tourism-driven party events should have clear conditions attached to them.
Organisers should be required to provide adequate professional security, realistic crowd-management plans and proper
transport arrangements.
Where necessary, large events should also contribute towards extraordinary cleaning and public-service costs generated
directly by their activities.
And where serious conditions are breached, future access to public promotion or public funding should be reconsidered.
It is simply responsible tourism management.
MHRA is right — now the words need consequences
Malta needs tourism. Hotels need guests. Restaurants need customers. Thousands of livelihoods depend on the industry.
But dependence on tourism should not prevent Malta from deciding what type of tourism it actually wants.
If we genuinely want higher-value, respectful tourism, then public policy needs to reward events and visitors that contribute
positively to the country rather than simply increasing arrival numbers.
Malta deserves visitors.
It also deserves respect.
Newsbook Malta – MHRA calls for respectful tourism after weekend incidents
MaltaToday – Reports on incidents surrounding Freedom Street Europe
VisitMalta – Freedom Street Europe event listing