Changing demographics and environmental degradation were set to have a disruptive impact on tourism, President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca warned on Friday.

Challenges related to an ageing population and climate change would also have long-term consequences on the development of Mediterranean tourism, she added.

High tourism numbers creating infrastructural challenges, PM admits

Diversifying the tourism sector was essential for resilience, she said, quoting a report which found that Mediterranean destinations which relied solely on sun and beach tourism were finding themselves in increasingly precarious situations.

Ms Coleiro Preca pushed for sustainable tourism and encouraged the promotion of "peace-building potential" tourism during the sixth Mediterranean Tourism Forum. 

Sustainable tourism could be a game changer, the President said, adding it could help nurture a transformation in mentalities and attitudes.

As an island nation in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta was very well acquainted with the importance of pursuing sustainable approaches, she said.

"There is the opportunity to invest in capacity-building programmes to assist local communities, to become empowered protectors of their environmental heritage," she added.

She encouraged stakeholders to embrace less carbon intensive transport, and make conscious choices to "think green" in the coming years.