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3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 APRIL 2025 NEWS A set of 37 indicators designed to help manage the environ- mental and social impacts of tourism are outlined in a new report from the OECD. The indicators will guide Mal- ta towards more sustainable practices in tourism, a key con- tributor to Malta's economy. Tourism is estimated to have accounted for 10.2% of Malta's GDP in 2023. The report refers to the grow- ing strain on local communi- ties and the environment as visitor numbers have reached the three million mark. The report, compiled by the OECD Centre for Entrepre- neurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE), was prepared in response to a request from Malta for technical support in creating a system of indicators to assess and monitor tourism sustainability. Waste, energy, and water Waste generation is a cen- tral focus. As tourism grows, so does the amount of waste produced, which is typically higher than that of the local population. The report pro- poses tracking the volume of municipal waste generated by tourists, helping to monitor the pressure on waste management systems. Plans for more accu- rate data collection are also outlined. Energy consumption is an- other key concern, particularly given Malta's reliance on im- ported electricity. The report suggested that monitoring electricity usage in hotels to gauge the tourism sector's en- ergy footprint, providing poli- cymakers with insight into the industry's electricity consump- tion. Water use is similarly sig- nificant, as Malta faces water scarcity and relies heavily on energy-intensive reverse osmo- sis. The proposed indicator will monitor water consumption in hotels and restaurants, shed- ding light on tourism's role in the island's water stress. To assess the impact of long-distance flights on carbon emissions, the report proposed an additional indicator that will measure the proportion of overnight stays by interna- tional tourists who arrive from destinations more than 2,000 kilometres away. While limited transport op- tions exist for tourists travel- ling to Malta, the report noted that Malta has the ability to tar- get specific markets. Moreover, another indicator will regularly measure the carbon emissions of airlines. Community and resident well- being Beyond environmental con- cerns, tourism also affects lo- cal communities. The OECD report stressed the importance of monitoring how tourism is perceived by residents and how it impacts their quality of life. One indicator will track lo- cal residents' perceptions of tourism, helping policymakers adjust strategies to better align tourism with local needs. By regularly assessing community views, Malta can address con- cerns and ensure tourism ben- efits the local population rather than creating tension. Another indicator, called tourism intensity, measures how much tourism affects the local population by compar- ing the number of tourists to the number of residents. This helps identify areas where tourism may be overburden- ing infrastructure and services, guiding management efforts to avoid overcrowding and ensure a balanced experience for both residents and visitors. The report also recommend- ed data collection on the pro- portion of local food served in restaurants and the percentage of restaurants offering local cuisine. Other indicators in- clude monitoring working con- ditions in the tourism sector, such as employee salaries and retention rates in tourism es- tablishments. The implementation of these indicators will occur gradually. Some can be introduced im- mediately using existing data, while others may require fur- ther refinement or the collec- tion of new data. By tracking key areas such as waste, energy, water, and community well-being, Malta can adapt as necessary to mit- igate the negative effects of over-tourism. The responsi- bility for overseeing the imple- mentation and monitoring of these indicators will rest with the Malta Tourism Observato- ry, a body established in 2022 to oversee the implementation of the Malta Tourism Strategy 2021-2030. Navigating tourism's impact: New OECD indicators for Malta The report refers to the growing strain on local communities and the environment as visitor numbers have reached the three million mark (File photo). JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt