The chief executive of the Malta Tourism Authority, Carlo Micallef, told The Malta Independent that he learned about Noma Island through local media. He said the MTA did not push for its entry into Maltese waters.
During an interview with this newsroom, MTA CEO Carlo Micallef was asked about Noma Island - specifically, on what is the MTA's position on it, whether the MTA is in favour of it operating in Maltese waters, and if the MTA pushed for Noma Island's recent entry in the Maltese islands.
Micallef responded that Noma Island is not licensed by the MTA, but by Transport Malta with a commercial vessel operator licence as the decorated sea vehicle it is.
Outlining the MTA's position on Noma Island, he commented that "we did not push for it, but as long as it operates within the parameters of the law and is not a disturbance to others, we see no reason to be against it."
Micallef also said he is unaware for who pushed for its entry into Maltese waters.
"I learned about it from the media. It does not need any licences from the MTA because it is a sea vehicle," he said.
Noma Island is a floating recreational platform that features its own freshwater swimming pool, a poolside area, and its own onboard restaurant and bar-lounge for its guests. The sea vehicle at heart has two decks for its maximum 350 guests over 1,750 square metres of area. Noma Island, which could be described as a beach club and lido out at sea, has been marketing itself as Malta's fourth island.
Earlier this April, the Għajnsielem Local Council formally objected to plans for Noma Island to operate off Comino's coast and along the local coastline, arguing that it is incompatible with the area's protected environmental status. Comino is a Natura 2000 site and a Special Area of Conservation.
Noma Island has since also faced further opposition from NGOs and several mayors. For instance, BirdLife Malta had called for its "immediate removal" from Comino after noting that "the presence of such a platform in close proximity to a key breeding site is therefore both reckless and ecologically irresponsible." The eNGO had stated that pelagic seabirds which nest in the area "depend on dark, quiet environments for successful breeding."
Earlier this July, Newsbook Malta reported that Noma Island was reported numerous times in a single evening after disturbing residents' sleep in Mellieħa.
Noma Island, formerly known as "Canua Island," was exiled from operating in the French Riviera after major opposition from French locals, environmental groups, and French authorities. It had its permits denied by the French government following a petition that amassed 20,000 signatures to oppose its launch, only for this to be overturned by the Nice Administrative Court, before then making its way to Malta after 21 French mayors issued a joint letter against its presence and operation.
When the MTA chief was asked whether Noma Island aligns with the drive towards Malta offering a higher-quality touristic experience, Micallef responded that "it's an experience. If it is the kind of experience that I would like to enjoy, maybe yes, maybe not."
"It's another product on the market, in the same way that there are other cruises going around the island," he said.
When further pressed if Noma Island is the kind of product that the MTA would like to promote, CEO Micallef said that the MTA doesn't promote it or other products, as it is not central to its marketing strategy - it just mentions that it is an experience visitors can enjoy.
MTA CEO says Comino visitor cap should not be touched till Comino rehabilitation plan completed
MTA CEO Carlo Micallef said that Comino's visitor cap of 4,000 people per session should not be amended until Blue Lagoon's rehabilitation plan is completed.
Last September, a planning application for Blue Lagoon's rehabilitation was submitted. During this project's presentation in September 2025, Mizzi Studios representatives shared how their project looks to enlarge the swimming area, remove kiosks sitting along the main shoreline, and restore around 35,000 square metres of garigue landscape, among other initiatives.
During an interview with this newsroom, which was carried yesterday, the MTA's chief executive was queried on if he agrees with Partit Momentum's proposal for Comino's visitor cap to be halved. The third party wants Comino's visitor cap per time slot to be lowered from 4,000 people to 2,000 people to better protect the ecosystem there. From those 2,000 people, it also wants 1,000 slots to be reserved for residents of Malta and Gozo.
Micallef said that "we've made big improvements in managing Comino," noting that "it's much cleaner than it was before, it's very well managed, and one can debate about the current level of 4,000 [visitors]." He added that this rehabilitation project "will elevate the experience even more."
Micallef also observed that ever since this visitor cap was introduced in May 2025, "I can assure you that the limit of 4,000 per session has never been surpassed" and that this has been verified by checking existing bookings plus through on-the-ground checks.
The chief executive remarked that the "absolute peak" registered for visitors on Comino in a single session sits between 3,000 and 3,200 people. He also added that "very few" people stay on the island for a whole day.
Upon hearing that the Comino visitor cap has always fallen at least circa 800 visitors short of its maximum, this newsroom asked Micallef why this visitor cap shouldn't be lowered to 3,000 or 3,200 people, rather than continuing to entertain an additional 800 people per time slot.
Echoing the words of Tourism Minister Jo Etienne Abela earlier this July, CEO Micallef said, "it's up to revision after we do the project. It can increase, it can decrease, as the minister has been quoted to say."
Tourism Minister Abela said recently that "If there is need for this capping to be revised - whether lowered, increased, or adjusted - we have no problem doing this as a government."
Some visitors still staying behind cordoned off area at St. Peter's Pool, despite signage
MTA CEO Micallef told this newsroom that despite the perilous area at St. Peter's Pool being cordoned off, in fear of a pending rock collapse, some people visiting the touristic area are still putting themselves in danger by staying behind the installed wire, near the precarious cliff face.
"At St. Peter's Pool, it's cordoned off with wire, there are signs, [and] people still go there. I saw pictures and videos of people standing behind the wire. Precaution has been taken, signs have been put in place, and people still go there. What can we do more?" Micallef said.
Asked how the rock collapse fears at St. Peter's Pool and Imġiebaħ Bay should be addressed, Micallef said that this is not an easy situation. He said that there are legal issues that inhibit authorities from taking matters into their own hands and blowing up these dangerous cliffsides and cleaning up the subsequent obstructions.
The CEO said that he does not think authorities in Malta are allowed "to just blow away whatever" they deem to be precarious, though noted that it's normal for different entities to collaborate whenever it is possible to remove a source of danger.
'One has to look into the way garbage is collected,' MTA CEO says
Micallef was asked about implementing more frequent waste collection, especially in areas such as Swieqi and Sliema where garbage often stacks up along pavements during peak summer periods.
He said that "one has to look into the way garbage is collected," and that while boosting collection frequency could serve as a partial solution, "the real solution is for people to observe the law."
The MTA CEO said that more frequent collection may work and that enforcing against people leaving out their bags of waste at wrong times is a mighty challenge in itself. On the latter, Micallef said that the MTA tried installing face-recognition cameras for this purpose, though this was not allowed due to an impediment in the law. He added that the MTA would "love to assist local councils in catching these people who bring out their garbage at irregular times or when they shouldn't."
He said that Malta's waste collection system of leaving garbage bags out by the street for garbage trucks to collect is not a sight for sore eyes, though "that's the system we have." He shared having the same thoughts after seeing such garbage bags out in London.
"The way that that our garbage collection works, it doesn't look good," Micallef said.
CEO Micallef said that he lives in an area within Għaxaq and Żejtun that very few tourists visit, yet he had just observed fellow residents take out their black bags on the previous Sunday night, when their collection was scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Discussing the possibility of an alternative waste collection system, Micallef stated that installing underground bins in Malta can be done for new developments, "but it's not easy to do it in city centres, village centres, where it has been built up after many years now."
Defining 'quality tourism' and how Malta attracts 'quality tourists'
Tourism discourse in Malta has centred around the term "quality tourism" for several years now, so much so that Micallef even acknowledged that using the term "has become quite cliché." But what exactly is meant by "quality tourism?"
The MTA chief executive said that while this can be interpreted in many ways, his definition "is one that matches what best we can offer. Our history, our culture, our traditions, our way of life, the tourism that, yes, is willing to spend good money for the right accommodation, for the right gastronomic experience, for the right experiences in our islands which are in line with our character."
He said that Malta is getting this kind of quality tourism, i.e., "the type of tourism that comes to Malta to explore and experience what the Maltese islands can offer," from regions such as the USA, Canada, Asian markets, and European markets like Germany, Italy, and the UK.
Micallef stressed that while tourists' spending power is important, in his view, the type of tourist Malta attracts is a greater priority point.
Rather than targeting people from any of the markets mentioned previously, the MTA attracts quality tourists by profiling the type of tourist it wants to attract and going straight to those audiences via social media.
Micallef shared that the MTA uses social media to target "very finite audiences" and attract the "persona" it is interested in. For instance, rather than opting for mass advertising, the MTA targets people from wealthier cities, postcodes, and countries, as well as their social media profiles.
The Authority head said that the MTA's advertising is "very focused to the type of experience that these people want to experience, e.g., people who travel and visit archaeological attractions, people who go abroad and show interest in the country's gastronomy, wines, the expenses."
"We target those people, we target those audiences that fit our objective - people that have a certain income, people that live within a 100-150km radius of airports with direct flight connections to Malta and are interested in travelling," he said.
"Nowadays, with algorithms in social media, our social media knows us more than we know ourselves," Micallef said, "we set up our strategy, the overall strategy, but then we do segment and niche marketing. We do not advert for all. We target our advertising according to the audience. It could be by age, it could be by interest, it could be by income and locality."
Micallef stated that the MTA's targeted marketing has managed to turn Malta into an all-year-round destination. He said that more families and people close to residents visit Malta on holiday in summer. Besides this target group, the MTA also targets, for example, people who can go away on holiday because they are empty nesters, of a certain age, of a certain income, who do active sports, or who can travel frequently for short breaks.
The Malta Chamber of Commerce published its own tourism strategy earlier this year, listing proposals on how to shift Malta's tourism sector into becoming one that garners a higher yield. The MTA chief noted that the MTA and the Malta Chamber align in how they want Malta's tourism sector to be. His one personal disagreement lies in the Malta Chamber's proposal to convert Republic Street into a high-quality brand destination with shops.
He said that people who visit Malta do not come here to shop, but for the experiences the country has to offer. Micallef shared how one millionaire's favourite experiences ranged from picking fruit from a local farm, meeting nuns at a monastery and praying there, and having tea and pastizzi.