‘We’re Destroying Our Beauty For Money’: Jon Mallia Warns Malta Making Itself Unattractive To Tourists
Malta is ruining its own beauty for the sake of developers’ greed and making itself unattractive to tourists in the process, popular podcaster Jon Mallia has warned.
In an impassioned post, Mallia condemned the Planning Authority’s approval of an application to convert a boathouse on the Xlendi seafront into a block of apartments.
“If the nation will ever be remembered for its stupidity, this is it,” he said. “We’ve made a pact with the devil to shit on our own beauty for the sake of money which we aren’t even going to see.”
He warned that Malta faces stiff competition from 190 Mediterranean islands and that rampant development is making the country unattractive.
“Do you think tourists will want to catch a plane to Malta and a boat to Gozo to enjoy staring at those concrete blocks? Are you crazy? You’re shitting in a dish in the morning and trying to convince yourself it’s chocolate fondue in the evening.”
The Planning Authority recently approved an application to convert a boathouse which currently houses a restaurant into a block of apartments.
While the application is in line with current policy, it has been widely condemned by the public.
Valletta Cultural Agency Jason Micallef condemned “developers with a tunnel vision of destruction and arrogance” while Gżira mayor Conrad Borg Manche warned the country is losing all of its authenticity and PN MP David Thake described it as “shameful”.
Cover photo: Left: How the block of apartments in Xlendi will look like, Right: The Greek island of Hydra
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