Watch: Malta Discussing Potential Ban On Airbnb And Short-Term Tourist Rentals
Discussions are underway within the Maltese government over whether to ban or impose new restrictions on the short-term letting of homes to tourists, including on Airbnb.
Finance Minister Clyde Caruana confirmed in an interview with Lovin Malta that the Tourism Ministry has been discussing this measure in recent weeks and months, but didn’t confirm whether it will be introduced or not.
“I understand that an issue like this must also be discussed with stakeholders,” he said. “If a property addresses a number of sectors, be they foreign workers or locals, you can’t simply snap your fingers and say it will become one-use as this will create problems with certain tenants. However, I know there are discussions ongoing.”
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While Airbnb has proved to be an extremely popular platform for tourists, it has been criticised for inflating property and rent prices for locals and straining resources. In Malta, the MHRA has also previously warned that they aren’t subject to the same stringent regulations to safeguard guest safety and wellbeing that hotels are.
Several European cities and countries have imposed restrictions on short-term touristic letting in recent years.
Barcelona has announced it will ban all short-term rentals, while Florence has introduced a ban on new short-term licenses and Portugal has suspended all new licenses.
Vienna has limited short-term letting of homes to tourists to a maximum 90 days a year, while Paris has introduced a 120-day limit.
Should Malta ban Airbnb?
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