While the Malta Tourism Authority emphasises "achieving excellence in every aspect of tourism", and the Government speaks, in fine words, about shifting tourism from quantity to quality, the facts are increasingly showing precisely the opposite, the Nationalist Party said Saturday.

In recent days, the government indicated that the target of 4.5 million tourists, which had been projected for 2035, could be reached as early as this year.

This is happening when the increase in our country's population, an increase planned, conceived and implemented by the Government, has already pushed Malta's infrastructure and services to the brink.

Growth without serious planning inevitably brings consequences, sooner or later, the PN said.

What we have witnessed in recent days is a clear example of this. The ongoing electricity crisis is now also damaging Malta's reputation as a tourist destination.

The incident in Valletta, where tourists who had booked a hotel ended up having to sleep on the rocks or leave the hotel because their accommodation had no electricity, no air conditioning and even electronic room doors that could not be opened, shows that this crisis is now also affecting our tourism product, the PN said.

What happened in recent days, when tourist areas such as Valletta were left without electricity for long hours, is unacceptable. This comes at a time when residents in several localities are already continuously questioning whether tourism is serving their communities or suffocating and overwhelming them.

Apart from the impact on tourists themselves, this is also affecting tourism operators. While operators invest substantial sums to continue improving their product, the Government's lack of serious planning risks seriously undermining that same investment.

What we are witnessing in Malta and Gozo today is the fault of a Government that has failed to resolve a crisis which began years ago. For years, we have continued to face the same problems every summer: temperatures rise and the electricity supply starts failing. This is the result of the failure to make the necessary investment to ensure that essential services, such as the energy supply, can meet the country's needs.

This is why the PN is calling for a National Carrying Capacity Plan: a study leading to a national plan establishing what our country can sustain today and what it is expected to sustain in the years ahead, across every sector, including tourism.

While the national debate on tourism has shifted from quantity to value and quality, the government's lack of planning and evidence-based direction over the past 13 years risks seriously damaging and weakening the tourism product itself, the PN said.

What experience of our country's beauty and cultural and historical heritage will tourists take home with them after booking a hotel in Valletta and ending up sleeping on a beach because of power cuts?

What is the point of private operators investing millions to improve their product while the Government allows the infrastructure to collapse?

The PN appealed to the Government to move beyond fine words about quality tourism and start delivering results. It must not allow its administrative failures to once again expose the absence of genuine vision and political will needed to make the necessary leap forward in tourism without further delay.

What we have experienced, and continue to experience, through extensive electricity outages, once again for another year after years of assurances that such power cuts would become a thing of the past, is neither sustainable nor responsible. It certainly does nothing to improve the quality of life of those who live in our country or those who visit it.

The statement was signed by Alex Perici Calascione, PN Deputy Leader and Shadow Minister for Tourism