Do not waste Marsa regeneration opportunity on tourism - ADPD
Turning the old power station site in Marsa into a tourism hotspot would be a wasted opportunity and the area should instead be developed for other purposes, the ADPD believes. In a press conference held on Saturday, the green party argued that the area would be better served if it kept its original focus on the maritime industry. “This zone’s regeneration should not be tied up to tourism,” said ADPD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo. The ADPD’s calls come in reaction to an announcement by the Planning Authority that it would be reviewing plans to regenerate the inner harbour Marsa area, with the intention of turning it into a “prime tourism and leisure harbour destination.” Those plans have the green party alarmed: in its view, Malta is already overly reliant on tourism. “Tourism has already engulfed too many prime sites on our islands and we should not be increasing our dependency on this sector,” said ADPD candidate and communications officer Brian Decelis. The party’s concerns are mirrored in a Chamber of Commerce report released earlier this year, which indicated that the tourism sector had already started to feel the impact of oversaturation before the COVID-19 pandemic hit...