Floriana is changing—and not in a way that sits well with its longtime residents. The local council is sounding the alarm, warning that the town’s character is at serious risk as more and more homes are turned into hotels and Airbnbs.
It’s a familiar story: gentrification, rising property prices, and a dwindling sense of community. But in Floriana, a town that once had over 5,600 residents in the late 1940s and now barely holds 1,900, the shift has been dramatic. And with the average age of the remaining residents creeping past 50, the concern isn’t just about numbers—it’s about who will still call Floriana home in the years to come.
The latest controversy centers around yet another guesthouse application—this time on Triq San Tumas, which would link up with an already-approved one on Triq il-Kapuccini, forming a 27-room tourist hub. This follows a 40-room hotel approval in Pjazza Sant’Anna, despite strong objections from the council.
Floriana has long felt the squeeze of office development, but the council says hotel and short-term rental conversions have now become the bigger threat. There’s no policy in place to control the shift from residential to tourist accommodation, meaning that Floriana is becoming a place to visit—not to live.
Back in 2002, the Grand Harbour Local Plan had already flagged the dangers of commercial expansion, but it didn’t foresee just how aggressively hotels and Airbnbs would take over. Now, the council is urging the Planning Authority to step in before it’s too late, warning that if this trend continues, Floriana will be nothing more than a hollowed-out shell of its former self.
