S.L. 409.4 Art. 2Interpretation.

(1) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires:

"accommodation units" means guest bedrooms, suites or self-catering units; "the Act" means the Malta Travel and Tourism Services Act;

"agro-tourism", in the context of a special label, means premises of accommodation for tourists being an integral part of an operational farm or agricultural operation in a rural area, providing opportunities for participation in an operational farm or other agricultural operations forming part of the same farm or agricultural operation; "bed and breakfast", in the context of a special label, means a one, two, three or four star hotel which is exempted from providing a restaurant and restaurant service, but is still required to provide a bar, a breakfast room and breakfast service and which is also exempted from providing a swimming pool; "bunk beds" means a system of two beds placed over each other;

"Eco Certification" means the certificate issued by the Authority confirming that the hotel conforms to the requirements of the Eco Certification Scheme as established by the Authority; "farmhouse", in the context of a special label, means any premises, used for the accommodation of tourists, being a self-contained unit with facilities for sleeping, cooking and dining, constructed and finished to represent a typical Maltese farmhouse, generally with rustic furnishings and located in a village or rural environment; "guest house" has the same meaning as "guest house" in the Act, but in more specific terms, it means any building or part of a building having an independent entrance, provides accommodation in not more than thirty bedrooms but not in shared room accommodation, offers breakfast and limited reception services to the public, in accordance with the standards established in the Fifth Schedule; "heritage", in the context of a special label, means a building having a heritage or historical significance, as certified by a competent person or entity;

*These regulations have been repealed by Legal Notice 92 of 2026. "hostel" has the same meaning as in the Act, but in more specific terms, it means any building or part of a building, having an independent entrance, providing private or shared room accommodation and amenities of a basic standard to the public and offering breakfast in a breakfast room and limited reception service in accordance with the standards established in the Sixth Schedule; "hotel" has the same meaning as in the Act, but in more specific terms, it means a building or part of a building or group of connected buildings, sited within a single and defined parcel of land, where ancillary services and amenities are provided to the public in accordance with the standards established by the First, Second and Third Schedules. Accommodation may consist of guest bedrooms, suites, self catering units or a mix of such units; "the Planning Authority" means the Planning Authority established under the Development Planning Act and includes any body or other person acting on its behalf under powers delegated by the Planning Authority under the said Act;

"quality standards" means the standards established by the Authority in order to assess the quality aspects of the tangible elements of hotel and tourist village operations - guest bedrooms, guest bathrooms, exterior of hotel and all public areas; "rural", in the context of a special label, means a rural locality as determined by the Authority; "self-catering unit" means an accommodation unit within a tourism accommodation establishment for use by guests which, in addition to the facilities and furnishings of a hotel room, provides also kitchen, living and dining facilities in accordance with the standards indicated in the Second Schedule; "special label" means the particular label assigned by the Authority to a hotel, tourist village, guesthouse or farmhouse, which label is granted by the Authority to further distinguish between the different types of accommodation according to their main use or character; "tourism accommodation establishments" means hotels, tourist villages, guest houses, hostels, and any other tourism accommodation establishment as the Authority may from time to time determine; "Tourism Compliance Certificate" means the preliminary compliance certificate issued by the Authority with regard to applications for new tourism establishments, extensions, modifications or redevelopments or for reclassification of existing tourism establishments under regulation 5; "Tourism Design Guidelines Certificate" means the certificate issued by the Authority approving plans of a tourism accommodation establishment following applicant’s consultation with the Panning Authority and prior to the issue of the Development Permit by the Planning Authority; "tourist village" means any building howsoever described, which does not exceed the maximum height of three storeys, which is detached from any other building and is situated within an extensive and defined parcel of land in which accommodation, ancillary services and amenities are provided by a common management, whereby the accommodavtion units consist in guest bedrooms or suites or self-catering units or a combination of the same, and in which sport and, or recreational activities are offered and other outdoor facilities are provided.

(2) Words and expressions used in these regulations and which are also used in the Act have the same meaning as in the Act.