The editorial of the Times of Malta of October 24 remarks on various aspects of “unregulated” tourist accommodation, often provided through social media. It implies that this lack of regulation can lead to bad experiences, which may damage our tourism industry.
In fact, enforcement of tourism regulations in Malta is practically toothless. On the other hand, anybody who does not provide the level of service which he advertised through the social media gets slammed with bad reviews.
Regulation on services like Airbnb is real, direct and effective. Both hosts and guests must live up to their profile or else accept the published consequences.