Malta has reached the limits of what its infrastructure can sustain as tourism continues to affect residents' quality of life, ADPD-The Green Party chairperson Sandra Gauci has warned.

Gauci said the high volume of tourists visiting Malta throughout the year was leaving residents "tired and fed up" with issues including noise, litter and widespread vandalism.

She argued that Malta could no longer meaningfully speak of a tourism "peak season", as large numbers of visitors are now present throughout most of the year.

Gauci also pointed to the spread of short-term accommodation, hotels and boutique hotels into residential areas, saying this reflected a lack of planning and direction over where the country wants to go.

She cited a recent proposal for a tourist accommodation establishment in a central area of Ħal Qormi as an example of how tourism-related development was increasingly reaching residential communities.

According to Gauci, the effects of this pressure are also being felt in Malta's infrastructure, with power cuts lasting several hours or even days, sewage reaching beaches and heavy traffic throughout the day.

ADPD said reports on Malta's carrying capacity should be taken seriously, arguing that the country's infrastructure has repeatedly demonstrated that its limits have already been exceeded.

The party is also calling for the Government to deliver on its promise to distribute part of the eco-tax collected from tourism to local councils.

It said the eco-tax should continue to increase and that the full amount should eventually go to local councils, which are closest to residents and understand the needs of their communities.

ADPD also called for fines collected to be channelled towards local councils so they can invest in improved services within their localities.

The party further argued that Malta should stop expanding its hotel capacity, saying the country had already gone beyond the point at which more hotels were needed.

"We need to stick with what we have," ADPD said.

"It is clear that Malta has reached its limit and the time has come to say so! No one will die of hunger but many will live better," Gauci said.

She concluded that the tourism sector should not become "another element detrimental to the quality of daily life of residents."