Tourism lobby demands reversal of cannabis law, warns of quality compromise
MHRA President Tony Zahra wants the government to reverse cannabis legalisation, saying it creates problems the tourism sector must absorb. He also targets cheap alcohol and budget flights.
MHRA President Tony Zahra has called on the government to reverse Malta's cannabis legalisation, describing it as a mistake that forces the tourism sector to absorb the consequences.
According to Malta Today, Zahra made the remarks during the presentation of the MHRA hotel survey by Deloitte on Friday. "This was a very big mistake, and we must reverse this. Otherwise, we're going to have continuous problems," he said.
Zahra argued the government created a mismatch between its permissive drugs policy and its ability to police visitor behaviour. Malta cannot simply open its borders and then expect police and tourism authorities to manage the fallout.
He called for a preventative approach rather than reactive damage control. Enforcement alone is insufficient, he said, pointing to Amsterdam's stricter stance as a model where visitors who break the law face jail time. "This is the way we want the island to go forward," he said.
The MHRA president also took aim at the alcohol sector, calling for restrictions on late-night sales by bottle shops. "We can't go on forever with situations where people buy cheap alcohol and get drunk," he said.
Low-cost travel compounds these challenges, Zahra warned. Cheap airline fares mean Malta attracts visitors on tight budgets. "Anybody who has €50 can get to Malta from anywhere, and some of them do have €20, but not much else. Some of them do come here without spending any money," he said.
He noted the paradox of high visitor numbers generating insufficient revenue to maintain standards. The sector cannot compromise quality for quantity. "Of course, we should have a vibrant country and make it fun, but that doesn't mean turning it into a rubbish bin," he said.
Malta became the first EU country to permit recreational cannabis use in December 2021. For the business community, Zahra's intervention underscores growing concern that permissive social policies are harming the tourism industry's reputation and spending power. The pressure on government to reconsider the law may increase if the quality of visitor stays continues to decline.