Momentum endorses Malta Chamber of Commerce Tourism Strategy. Prioritise value over volume

Momentum strongly endorses the Malta Chamber of Commerce’s newly published tourism strategy, “Rediscover to Align”. The document aligns perfectly with Momentum’s core pillars of good governance, transparency, a more beautiful island, and a just economy.

For too long, the political duopoly has allowed rampant overdevelopment to erode the charm and infrastructure of our country. We welcome the Chamber’s clear focus on “Managing Success”, which highlights the urgent need to shift away from chasing volume.

Momentum particularly supports the Chamber’s firm stance on managing accommodation supply. The recommendation to remove the two extra floors policy is long overdue, as the Chamber correctly notes that this policy has shifted from a supply-side tool to a purely speculative mechanism.

Additionally, we fully back the Chamber’s practical approach to regulating short-term rentals to protect our residential communities. The proposals to restore balance include:

• Mandating platforms to share monthly data with Local Councils to enable real-time monitoring. This is inline with our previous proposals around short term lets.
• Introducing a tiered tax rate linked to the intensity of short-term rental activity.
• Limiting tax deductions for short-term rental related expenses to reduce their tax-driven advantage over long-term rentals.

Momentum also echoes the Chamber’s call to halt any further encroachment of ODZ land to protect natural and cultural assets.

Mark Camilleri Gambin, General Secretary of Momentum, stated: “The two major parties have allowed unchecked speculation to erode the very product tourists come here to experience. The Chamber of Commerce has provided a clear roadmap to elevate value per visitor and improve our regulatory environment. We fully support the abolition of speculative planning loopholes and the introduction of fair, enforceable rules for short-term lets. It is time to prioritise the wellbeing of our residents alongside our tourism goals.”

The Momentum executive committee will continue to champion policies that demand accountability, clean up our governance, and build a sustainable future for all Maltese and Gozitan residents.

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