The impacts of tourism on the urban conservation area of Rabat

Abstract

Rabat has for long been a commercial and recreational hub for nearby rural and military communities. During the British rule in Malta tourism in Rabat was very minimal however from the 1960’s onwards tourism started to increase. Rabat proximity to Mdina and having several cultural heritage sites of its own became a touristic area. Tourism in Rabat is not just limited to international visitors, who general visit during the day, but also caters for domestic tourists as well. The impact of such developments in the Urban Conservation Area of Rabat is discussed in relation to the socio-cultural and environmental impacts of tourism. It was noted that between 2014 and 2018 there number of submitted applications to the Planning Authority was relatively high, when compared to previous years. This triggered mixed opinions between the locals, some of them feel that these developments are helping the economy and the built environment because the old buildings are being restored and reused, some of the residents even said that as a result of these developments they feel proud that they live in Rabat. Others on the other hand said that these developments would eventually result in fewer parking spaces, which is already an issue, traffic congestion, littering and commercialization of the space which would change the character of the village.