The hordes of English language students that descend on Malta each summer may go a long way toward boosting Malta’s overall tourism numbers. Although the expenditure left behind by such tourists is debatable, they are also taking a marked toll on the localities in which they stay and frequent.

Residents, particularly those in central localities, are meanwhile suffering in silence as they endure sleepless night after sleepless night with alcohol-fuelled singing, scuffling and shouting persisting until dawn.

Vandalism to residents’ cars and homes, as well as vomit and urine frequently found on doorsteps in the mornings, are some of the main complaints of residents of areas such as Swieqi, St Julian’s and Sliema, whose suffering is compounded by their proximity to Paceville’s nightlife.

One Swieqi resident speaking to The Malta Independent on Sunday yesterday related how he and a passenger in his car were recently attacked by a group of six to 10 drunken Spanish and French students just minutes from his home.

Following an altercation, the passenger was dragged out of the car and down the road by his feet, after which he was severely beaten, as was the driver when he attempted to intervene. The pair suffered a broken nose and a multitude of other injuries.

“The Paceville, St Julian’s and Swieqi areas are no longer safe to live in,” he remarked.

Alternattiva Demokratika highlighted the wide-ranging and serious problems yesterday as the party laid out its proposals for a “polluter pays” principle for this segment of the tourism industry.

Speaking yesterday at a press conference in Swieqi, AD chairperson Harry Vassallo observed, “Language schools and the residences where language students are lodged in large numbers have been causing considerable nuisance to their neighbours for several years. This is a serious cost that must be accounted for. Those profiting from this sector of the tourism industry must be warned that they can be asked to pay

for it.”

Calling for a special enforcement approach to the problem, AD outlined a series of proposals yesterday aimed at curbing the delinquent behaviour of Malta’s young tourists, many of them free from parental supervision for the first time.

The proposals include carrying out an evaluation exercise immediately to establish the direct and indirect costs and returns from the sector in order to properly assess whether the negative impacts of the industry could be either drastically reduced, or whether the industry itself should be actively discouraged.

Moreover, AD has proposed that businesses organising underage language school arrivals be held responsible for their actions during their stay in Malta, and that they provide adequate insurance for any damage caused by such youths during their stay. The sector’s stakeholders, as well as businesses and residents directly involved in or affected by the industry, should be consulted so as to determine the most effective means of monitoring the situation and reducing the negative impacts.

Another proposal suggests instructing police to keep watch on the hardest-hit areas and implement a zero tolerance policy. If the measure still proves ineffective, AD suggested the institution of a special warden service dealing specifically with the problem. The language school segment of the tourism industry would finance this service.

The current practice of hosting such students in hotels and unsupervised residences, according to AD, should be “actively discouraged”, and preference given to lodgings with host families.

The scores of complaints made to the police, as well as documented offences involving English language students should also be published on the website of local councils. Such an initiative, AD said yesterday, would give residents a clear view of the state of affairs in their individual localities as well as allowing them to monitor trends and the effectiveness of police action.

AD also urged that Malta’s ministries and government departments be specifically instructed to no longer ignore the negative impact of such business on other aspects of the economy and on the quality of life of private citizens who are enduring unwarranted hardships year after year.

Dr Vassallo added, “The general public cannot be asked to subsidise any business by the loss of amenity of its property, by bearing the cost of damage to property, nor by suffering in silence a host of nuisances caused by language schools.

“This sector can and should be run in a manner which does not create serious negative impacts on the rest of the population and on other sectors of the tourism industry. It is unacceptable that in order for some people to make a profit, or even to have employment, others must suffer the costs.”