A newly launched Instagram page campaigning against overtourism in Malta is rapidly attracting attention by documenting what its creator describes as the everyday consequences of a tourism model that has prioritised visitor numbers over residents' quality of life.
The page, Overtouristed Malta, was launched three weeks ago by activist and lawyer Michaela Pia Camilleri, who believes the country has reached a tipping point in its relationship with tourism.
Speaking in an interview with The Malta Independent, Camilleri said the project was born out of frustrations experienced first-hand while working in Valletta, frustrations she says are increasingly shared by residents across the island.
While tourism has long been one of Malta's economic pillars, Camilleri argues that the country's approach has become unsustainable. Her page seeks to document the impact of mass tourism on daily life and encourage broader conversation about whether Malta should continue pursuing record visitor numbers.
For Camilleri, the issue became impossible to ignore during her daily commute to work in Valletta.
"When I worked in Valletta last year, my office was just three minutes away from the law courts," she recalled. "To get there, it would take me around ten minutes, trying to slide through the crowds in Republic Street - usually crowds of slow-walking tourists with zero spatial awareness."
Attempting to avoid the busiest thoroughfares often proved futile.
"I would then take a side road, hoping to avoid the crowds, but even the side roads would be full of tourists, and tables and chairs for the same tourists."
The problem, she argues, goes beyond inconvenience. Valletta remains the administrative and legal heart of the country, housing government departments, courts and countless professional offices.
"Workers can't even do their jobs properly anymore," she said.
Camilleri also pointed to concerns about accessibility and public safety. She recounted being told by a friend that an ambulance recently struggled to pass through Merchants' Street because of tables and chairs occupying public space.
Transport infrastructure, she added, is similarly strained. Buses travelling towards Sliema and St Julian's are frequently overcrowded, while ferry services between Valletta and Sliema can become difficult to access during peak periods.
The issue is not confined to the capital. One of the incidents that ultimately pushed her towards creating the page occurred during a walk along the Floriana bastions.
"The last straw was a walk along the bastions in Floriana, where the view of the harbour was completely blocked off by a massive cruise liner," she said.
"The worst part was the loud music and noise from entertainers on the ship. It was genuinely distressing. You can't even enjoy some of Malta's finest gardens without having a cruise liner honking in your ear."
The Instagram page now serves as a platform for residents to share similar experiences. Camilleri said she has received messages and videos from both Maltese citizens and foreigners living in Malta who feel affected by the pressures associated with overtourism.
"When I speak of residents, I mean this in the widest sense - they may be of any nationality," she said.
While critics of anti-overtourism campaigns are often accused of being anti-tourist, Camilleri insists this is not the case.
"To clarify, my concern is with mass overtourism," she said.
"I am happy to welcome tourists and to share my country's heritage with them. I am however tired with short-term mass tourism."
Her argument is that Malta's economy has evolved significantly and no longer needs to rely on tourism growth at any cost.
"Malta is an island and we have depended on tourism for a long time. However, our economy is now a lot more resilient and we no longer need to rely on it as much."
She argues that the country's physical limitations make comparisons with larger destinations particularly striking.
"To put things into perspective, India welcomes 10 million foreign tourists every year. We welcome four million and are projected to welcome 4.5 million this year. Our land space is but a breadcrumb compared to that of India's."
Rather than focusing on ever-increasing arrivals, Camilleri believes Malta should pursue a model centred on visitors who stay longer and contribute more to the economy.
"We need to focus on more quality tourism that brings in a high income," she said, pointing to countries such as Germany as examples of destinations that prioritise longer-term tourism.
The economic argument surrounding tourism remains fiercely debated, with industry representatives often warning against policies that could reduce visitor numbers. However, Camilleri contends that quantity does not necessarily translate into greater economic benefit.
"Less people doesn't mean less economic activity," she argued.
"A lot of hotel and restaurant owners themselves do not want this current model. Mass tourism usually consists of short stays. This doesn't even benefit people in the tourism industry themselves."
She also linked the current tourism model to wider social and environmental challenges facing the country, including housing pressures, environmental degradation and strain on infrastructure.
Among her more provocative criticisms is her characterisation of modern tourism itself.
"Tourism is a new form of colonialism," she said.
Expanding on the point, Camilleri argued that tourism often involves wealthier visitors consuming resources and experiences without developing meaningful relationships with local communities.
"I believe that most of the tourists we're attracting don't really bother to integrate with the locals, and in truth have little interest in getting to know the culture."
She further claimed that residents are increasingly treated as service providers whose needs become secondary to those of visitors.
"Locals are treated as commodities - they are servants at the disposal of the affluent tourists," she said.
Camilleri also highlighted environmental concerns, including water consumption by large hotels and tourism facilities, arguing that these pressures are often overlooked in discussions about the sector's economic contribution.
Looking ahead, she hopes the page will become more than a social media account documenting grievances.
"My goal is to create a movement of anti-mass tourism," she said.
She called for government to consider a broader shift in economic strategy, including stronger regulation of short-let accommodation, improved working conditions in hospitality and greater emphasis on cultural tourism rather than party tourism.
"We need to create a culture where tourists respect our country, and not treat it as a party island."
Ultimately, she said, the debate is about residents' right to enjoy the places they call home.
"I want to be able to enjoy living in my own country, rather than turning my country into some theme park with the sole aim of pleasing tourists who come here for a few days."
Camilleri indicated that she hopes the initiative will eventually grow beyond a single individual.
"Ideally this would grow into something bigger," she said, adding that if necessary she would not be the only person handling the page in the future.
Asked whether causes in Malta are sometimes taken less seriously when they are associated with individuals rather than organisations, Camilleri said individual activism still has an important role to play.
"I think individual activism can be good, as we've seen through Kurt Meli and others," she said.
However, she added that collective action remains essential: "Ultimately, power comes in numbers."
She also expressed surprise that overtourism has not been more actively adopted as a central campaign by established organisations.
"It's quite weird no NGO has picked it up properly," she remarked.
"A lot of issues stem from it - housing, environmental destruction and others."
While acknowledging that many environmental and social organisations may simply lack the resources to tackle another major issue, she suggested the topic deserves far greater attention than it currently receives.
Whether Overtouristed Malta develops into a wider movement remains to be seen. Yet the page's rapid emergence reflects a growing unease among some residents who feel that the pursuit of tourism growth has come at a cost. As Malta continues to celebrate record visitor numbers, voices such as Camilleri's are increasingly questioning whether bigger necessarily means better.