No new hostels will be allowed to open up in Malta unless they form part of an educational institution.
Explaining the logic behind this ban to WhosWho.mt, Tourism Minister Ian Borg said the current hostels offer enough bed space for tourists and backpackers who wish to stay there.
“We already have enough accommodation, and this in a record year when we attracted over 4 million tourists,” Dr Borg said.
“If you want to stay at a hostel in Malta, there are already several options for you. However, from now on, we are encouraging developers to invest in either boutique hotels or hotels with 25m facades.”
Malta has 39 licensed hostels, with a total of over 2,500 beds, although 573 of these are at Campus Hub and 479 at the English language school Sprachcaffe.
The partial hostel ban was announced in a legal notice as part of a wider reform to the tourism accommodation sector, which includes bans on new one and two star hotels and fresh rules for short-term letting apartments, including an obligation to install air conditioners.
