Sustainable tourism in the Maltese Islands

Abstract

This chapter argues that a policy of restraint on tourism inflows would not make much sense for an island where a large proportion of the national income, foreign exchange inflows and employment are generated from tourism and tourism related activities. Planning, impact assessments, setting and monitoring standards, and internalizing environmental costs are put forward as ways to halt the pace of environmental damage in Malta, although it is recognized that tourism, like all other economic activities will never be environmentally neutral.