What Europe’s overtourism protests are really telling us — and why Malta should pay attention

Drawing on a scholarly paper co-authored with Karl Agius, this opinion-piece in the Malta Independent explores what overtourism protests across Europe are really telling us—and why Malta should pay close attention. As pressures on housing, infrastructure, and quality of life intensify across destinations, the article reflects on the broader social dynamics shaping tourism debates today.

Read the article here 

One To One - Season 8 - Updated Weekly

One To One covers social, political, environmental, and cultural topics, and guests are experts in their respective fields. 

One to One is hosted by Prof Michael Briguglio and is broadcast on Campus 103.7.  The programmes are also available in on-demand format and are uploaded on the Open Access Repository, University of Malta .

Topics and guests for Season 8 (April-June 2026)

1. Min huma l-foqra? Noel Xerri

(This list is updated every week)

Topics and guests for Season 1 (July-September 2024) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 2 (October - December 2024) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 3 (January - March 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 4 (April - June 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 5 (July - September 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 6 (October - December 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 7 (January - March 2026) - Click here

New Publication: Protests against Overtourism across Europe and EU Policy Response

New Publication! Protests against Overtourism across Europe and EU Policy Response - Co-authored with Karl Agius

This chapter analyses protests against overtourism across Europe in 2024 using Protest Event Analysis of media reports. It identifies key protest locations, actors and grievances—especially housing pressures and declining quality of life—and examines how EU institutions respond, highlighting policy efforts aimed at managing tourism flows and promoting more sustainable, “balanced” tourism.

You can access the paper via University of Malta Library HyDi. It will also be available in Open Access format in the coming days.

Citation:

Agius, Karl & Briguglio, Michael (2026): Protests against Overtourism across Europe and EU Policy Response, in Briguglio L., Avellino M., and Butcher, J. (Eds) Overtourism in Cities and Small Islands (Routledge), pp. 120-134 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003609940-11

Charity without propaganda

In today's Malta Independent, I argue that charity events like Malta’s L-Istrina should focus on genuine giving and solidarity rather than serving as platforms for political or self-promotional spectacle, while also calling for greater dignity, transparency, and accountability in how charitable fundraising is practiced.

Read the article here

Għadna Għaddejjin - Peklektru's new album release

'Għadna Għaddejjin', Peklektru's new album, will be released on 5 February. Four lyric-videos from the album have already been released and the album will be available on Bandcamp and on major streaming services.

Recording the drums for this album with David Vella at Temple Studios was a blast, and it was an honour to feature on the songs with Patrick Galea himself and bassist Ivan Borg. The run-up to the album was particularly intriguing as I did my best to articulate a loyal interpretation to Patrick's compositions through my drumming. 

I also play the drums on Peklektru's recent singles 'Mandragreen' (2025) and 'Ejja Sibni' (2023), as well as on his album 'Reclaiming Space' (2007), under his previous moniker Peklectrick. Patrick was also a co-founder of my band Dripht, and we had recorded our first EP together in 2004.

You can read Peklektru's press release on Melodija.eu, here

My discography - here 

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Għadna Għaddejjin - Peklektru (2026)

Lyrics and music: Patrick Galea
Bass: Ivan Borg
Drums: Michael Briguglio

Production, mixing, and mastering: David Vella, Temple Studios

One To One - Season 7 - Updated Weekly

One To One covers social, political, environmental, and cultural topics, and guests are experts in their respective fields. 

One to One is hosted by Prof Michael Briguglio and is broadcast on Campus 103.7.  The programmes are also available in on-demand format and are uploaded on the Open Access Repository, University of Malta .

Topics and guests for Season 7 (January - March 2026)

1. L-Imdina saret theme park? Amy Galea

2. X'futur għandha l-agrikoltura? Malcolm Borg

3. Il-ħidma soċjali u l-fostering - John Role'

4. Il-Prodott Turistiku - Philip Fenech

5. L-ADPD fejn sejra? Sandra Gauci

6. L-AI ser tieħu postna? Alexiei Dingli

7. Drittijiet LGBTIQ - Wasalna? Robert Attard

8. L-Isfidi tal-Kunsilli Lokali - Mario Fava

9. L-Open Day tal-Junior College - Roberto Calleja

10. X'hemm differenti fil-Partit Momentum? - Mark Camilleri Gambin

11. X'inhu r-rwol tal-awtoritajiet? - Kevin Aquilina 

12. X'nafu dwar in-nawfraġju ta' San Pawl? Mark Gatt

13. Il-Governanza Ambjentali - Marguerite Camilleri

(This list is updated every week)

Topics and guests for Season 1 (July-September 2024) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 2 (October - December 2024) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 3 (January - March 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 4 (April - June 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 5 (July - September 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 6 (October - December 2025) - Click here

75 Years of the International Social Science Journal

The International Social Science Journal, of which I am Associate Editor, is celebrating its 75th year. 

Thus, a anniversary Special Issue has been published, demonstrating the journal's long-standing commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry and public-facing scholarship. The Special Issue brings together economic, psychological, sociological, environmental and practice-based perspectives to understand how individuals and communities navigate new pressures and reimagine collectivity and future.

The special issue includes an editorial of which I am co-author in my capacity as guest editor:

Messina, B.C., Briguglio, M., Freire, D., Gard, R., Ocakli, B.O., Schermer, J.A. and Qiu, S. (2025), Social Well-Being in an Unsettled World: 75 Years of the International Social Science Journal. Int Soc Sci.. https://doi-org.ejournals.um.edu.mt/10.1111/issj.70031

For a peopled Blue Economy in Malta's Vision 2050

 

Read my opinion in the Malta Independent here. I also submitted this feedback to Malta's Vision 2050 Public Consultation.

One To One - Season 6 - Updated Weekly

 

One To One covers social, political, environmental, and cultural topics, and guests are experts in their respective fields. 

One to One is hosted by Prof Michael Briguglio and is broadcast on Campus 103.7.  The programmes are also available in on-demand format and are uploaded on the Open Access Repository, University of Malta .

Topics and guests for Season 6 (October - December 2025)

1. L-Immaġinazjoni Soċjoloġika fir-Retro - Noel Agius

2. Tista' tkun Konservattiv Soċjali? Jake Muscat

3. X'qed tipproponi l-Kamra tal-Kummerċ għall-Budget? William Spiteri Bailey

4. Jista' jkollna akkomodazzjoni affordabbli? Jake Azzopardi

5. Il-Ħsejjes u s-Soċjeta' - Daniel Gafa'

6. X'jagħmlu l-għaqdiet komunitarji? Sara Mari Cardona

7. X'inhi l-ekwita' soċjali? Nadia Abdilla

8. Il-liġi tista' tipproteġi l-ambjent? Claire Bonello

9. X'inhi l-politika soċjali? Andrea Dibben

10. Id-dieta Mediterranja u l-obeżità f'Malta: Kontradizzjoni? Suzanne Piscopo

11. X'inhu r-rambling? Romano Cassar

12. L-MCESD: X'impatt għandu? Brendan Zerafa

13. It-tfal u l-edukazzjoni ambjentali - Jane Spiteri

(This list is updated every week)

Topics and guests for Season 1 (July-September 2024) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 2 (October - December 2024) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 3 (January - March 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 4 (April - June 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 5 (July - September 2025) - Click here

The Real Estateisation of Marsascala?

 Tourism, Real Estate, and Urban Pressures: The case of Marsascala, Malta -  

Paper by Agius Karl, Briguglio Michael and Bermúdez Pérez Jorge Luis -  published in Open Research Europe -  an open access publishing venue for European Commission-funded researchers.

This paper examines the urban transformation of Marsascala, a coastal town in Malta, through the lens of tourism development and its social repercussions. Engaging with Young’s (1983) model of touristization and landscape change, and drawing from qualitative interviews, field observations, orthophoto analysis, and secondary data, the study traces the town’s evolution from a fishing village to a site of intensive tourism consolidation. Findings reveal how population growth—driven by tourism and foreign labour—has led to overdevelopment, infrastructural strain, and a declining quality of life. Building on empirical insights, the authors propose a novel seventh stage in Young’s model: real estateisation, wherein real estate speculation and short-term rentals reconfigure coastal localities beyond tourism. Marsascala thus becomes a case study in understanding the entanglements between tourism, migration, housing, and urban change. The paper contributes to debates on sustainable tourism, the Blue Economy, and the need for integrated social impact assessments in coastal governance.This paper is linked to the EU Cost Action CA221222 Rethinking the Blue Economy: Socio-Ecological Impacts and Opportunities (RethinkBlue), in relation to the themes covered by Working Group 3 - Port cities & coastal communities.

Link to paper: https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/4-183/v2

Map prepared for the authors by Andrea Pace