Smart Valletta

Culture Venture teamed up with Culture Hint and the Malta Tourism Authority to deliver a new research project funded by MDIA. The project focused on the visitor experience in Malta’s capital city, Valletta. 

In research on over-tourism in Valletta, Ebejer J (2020) found that there were ‘initial signs of over-tourism and that this was a source of concern, mainly to Valletta residents and to persons with an interest in urban heritage’. If no action was taken to mitigate it, it was likely that some of the negative impacts would become severe and unacceptable. In recent months, press stories also highlighted increased tensions between residents and bars in Valletta hotspots, exacerbated by longer hours allowed for higher sound levels in entertainment spots. Work on the Valletta Management Plan was being drafted to secure Valletta’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Through the application of AI, the research team implemented a research project within an area in Valletta to test a mixed methodology that sought to address challenges of over-tourism and its impact on visitor experience, cultural heritage, and the overall liveability of the city.