Malta has received a somewhat positive result in the World Economic Forum’s latest report on the tourism industry.

While it ranked first in the world in terms of prioritising the vital sector and first in Europe for improving its environmental stability; it received poor marks for its natural and cultural resources.

It should be noted that in absolute terms, tourism in Malta has exploded since 2010, with figures more than doubling since then, reaching 2.6 million in 2018.

However, this year’s study focused on the growing risks to a rapidly growing industry should it fail to be managed correctly. In fact, global tourism numbers reached 1.8 billion in 2018, two years before it was predicted to do so.

“Competitiveness for competitiveness sake may become a burgeoning constraint on the sector as a whole,” the WEF noted.

The issue of overtourism was recently flagged by University of Malta academics, who found that 50% of the population felt tourism had reached a breaking point.

In the report, Malta ranks first in the world in terms of prioritisation of the tourism sector on the back of government investment and its effectiveness in the tourism market.

Tourism remains a crucial backbone of the country’s economy, given the lack of natural resources.

The country is also most improved in terms of environmental stability in tourism since 2017. This comes off the back of several initiatives from the government to improve enforcement and regulations.

The reality on the ground is somewhat different, as residents of some key tourism areas can attest too.

Overall, Malta ranks 35th in the 2019 study, climbing up one place from the 2017 results.

On the other end of the spectrum, Malta scored poorly both in terms of natural and cultural resources, (2.8/7 and 1.5/7 respectively) receiving some of the worst scores in the Southern European region, and the continent as a whole.

The report defines natural resources as a measure of the natural environment in terms of the country’s landscape, fauna, protected areas, and national parks.

“Natural assets clearly have a competitive advantage in attracting tourists,” the WEF said.

The issue surrounding the country’s natural environment is at the forefront of national debate, with a protest against the construction industry taking place this Saturday.

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