More enforcement is the solution to complaints about loud music being played until late in the night in Valletta, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo told The Malta Independent.

After hoteliers lamented that tourists are complaining because of loud music being played until 1am within the walls of the capital, The Malta Independent asked Bartolo whether it is worth risking Valletta's touristic product to allow certain operators to blast music till the early hours of the morning.

The complaints are the latest in a saga over a legal notice which the government introduced at the beginning of summer allowing establishments in certain streets in Valletta to play music until 1am, rather than the previously stipulated 11pm.

Bartolo said that "there needs to be stronger enforcement in order for the legal notice to be enacted as it is supposed to. Between 11pm and 1am music levels need to be moderate in order to accommodate everyone."

However, the legal notice gives no exact definition as to what constitutes "moderate" music levels.

Bartolo, when asked, also said that there are no plans to revoke the legal notice anytime in the near future.

The legal notice has been controversial since it was enacted in early June 2022. It has been opposed by the Nationalist Party, many Valletta residents, and stakeholders - particularly in the tourist accommodation sector - who operate in the area.

Valletta residents had stated that although they welcomed the revival of the city, but said that "the city should not become hell for its residents" while the Malta Hotels & Restaurants Association called on the government not to turn Valletta into another Paceville or Bugibba.

Being a legal notice, it did not require Parliament's clearance to be enacted - however the government voted against a motion tabled by the PN for the legal notice to be revoked.