International tourism is booming, but its benefits are not always shared equally. Hotels and other businesses may see revenues rise while residents contend with higher housing costs, fading local identity and neighbourhoods transformed to serve visitors.

Positive Action Community Tourism (PACT) is advancing a different approach: bringing hotels, community organisations and local stakeholders together so that tourism creates social, cultural and economic value for the people who live in destination cities.

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Launched in Malta by British entrepreneur Mark Weingard, founder of the Iniala Group, PACT aims to make community involvement a core part of the tourism model—not an afterthought to commercial success.

Building A Global Movement

PACT began in Valletta and has four members. Weingard says the initiative is working with the World Travel & Tourism Council on an international launch, with the ambition of bringing the approach to destinations around the world.

“Hotels need to build a relationship with the community in which we operate,” he says. “It is not enough to arrive in a destination, open a hotel and make a profit. We must also help improve the lives of the people who live there.”

In Malta’s capital, the Iniala Group supports local cultural and sporting projects and works alongside residents. For Weingard, community trust is fundamental to operating responsibly: “We need the respect of the people who live here, not their hatred, which is why it is so important to work with residents.”

One example is Iniala Valletta, a boutique hotel created from several restored historic buildings. Weingard says the project was intended to preserve significant architecture while bringing activity back to parts of the city. The broader challenge, he argues, is to improve urban areas without displacing residents or eroding the traditions that give them character.

Preserving Identity As Cities Change

That tension is increasingly visible in popular destinations, where tourism investment can support restoration and local employment but also intensify pressure on housing and public space. PACT’s premise is that hotels should take an active role in addressing those pressures by working with the communities around them.

Weingard hopes the initiative will extend to cities such as Madrid, London, Paris and Lisbon. His call is for a broad agreement among stakeholders—and for more hotels to adopt a model that treats community wellbeing as part of tourism’s long-term value.

Wellbeing Beyond The Hotel Stay

Weingard also plans to replicate the Iniala model in Lisbon, Athens and Madrid, with properties designed to connect with each city’s culture and identity. Architecture, design and gastronomy are central to the guest experience, alongside collaborations with local architects and designers and restaurants featuring Michelin-starred cuisine.

But the model’s focus, he says, is ultimately on people and wellbeing. Iniala’s offering brings together personal care, skin treatments, physical recovery, healthy eating, psychological support, relaxation and meditation.

“Our goal is to bring together in one place accommodation, physical activity, nutrition, personal care, emotional health and all the tools to improve quality of life,” Weingard says. The aim is not simply to give guests a few days of rest, but to help them leave with habits and knowledge they can carry into everyday life.

A Wider Definition Of Tourism’s Value

Travellers are increasingly seeking experiences that offer more than a place to stay. For hotels, that creates an opportunity to build deeper connections with guests—and with the destinations that make those experiences possible.

PACT’s proposition is that these goals can reinforce one another. When hotels invest in local relationships, protect cultural identity and contribute to community wellbeing, tourism can create a more durable legacy. Whether that model can meaningfully ease the pressures of gentrification will depend on sustained, practical commitments. But it offers a clear standard for the industry: success should be measured not only by visitor numbers and revenue, but also by whether local people benefit from the places they call home.