One in four licensed short lets concentrated in St Paul’s Bay and Sliema

St Paul’s Bay and Sliema together account for almost a quarter of all licensed short-term rentals listed in Malta and Gozo, according to figures tabled in parliament.

The two localities have a combined 2,163 licensed rentals out of 8,748 across the islands, equivalent to 24.7% of the total.

St Paul’s Bay tops the list with 1,133, followed by Sliema with 1,030.

The information was provided by Jo Etienne Abela in response to a parliamentary question from PN MP Graziella Galea, who requested a locality-by-locality breakdown of premises licensed by the Malta Tourism Authority for short-term letting.

St Julian’s follows St Paul’s Bay and Sliema with 747 licensed rentals, ahead of Valletta with 592 and Swieqi with 506. Together with St Paul’s Bay and Sliema, these five areas account for 4,008 rentals, or 45.8% of the total.

Other substantial concentrations include Mellieħa, with 455, Gżira with 400, Paceville with 298 and Marsaskala with 272.

In Gozo, the largest listed concentrations are Marsalforn, with 244 licensed rentals, and Xagħra, with 233. Għarb follows with 163, while Xlendi has 131.

Adding the entries for Gozo gives 1,612 licensed rentals, representing 18.4% of the national total. Malta accounts for the remaining 7,136.

The figures cover licensed short-term accommodation, rather than properties advertised exclusively through Airbnb or any other individual booking platform.