The island of Malta, despite its small size, boasts a great variety of landscapes and landforms, offering a wide range of geological and geomorphological features of great interest. The identification and assessment of geosites can contribute to the preservation, protection, and promotion of this rich geodiversity. In addition, geosites have a high potential of attracting geotourists, thus also contributing to the development of the local economy. Tourism plays a key role for the Maltese Islands, with Malta’s tourism direct contribution to GDP being among the highest in Europe. Thus, geotourism could represent a significant resource for Malta, though it has yet to receive the attention and recognition it deserves. Within this framework, this work aims to highlight the role of geoheritage and geotourism as potential resources for the enhancement of sustainable tourism and geoconservation in the southern sector of Malta. This region of Malta receives less visitors compared with the northern sector of the island, which is popular for its sandy beaches. To this end, potential geosites were inventoried and quantitatively assessed using a commonly applied methodology tailored to the local setting. The results of this evaluation let to identify 18 potential geosites that can be recognized as both parts of the Maltese natural heritage and tourist resources. Among these 18 sites, we identified four priority geosites which could be incorporated into a potential geotourism route to also highlight the valuable elements of the cultural heritage located in the vicinity. Moreover, the assessment methodology, applied for the first time in the investigated area, has proven to be a valuable support for geosite identification and can be extended to other Maltese regions.

The Island of Malta is characterized by a great variety of landscapes and landforms, including a wide range of features with great geological and geomorphological interest. The inventory and assessment of geosites can contribute to the preservation, protection, and promotion of this rich geodiversity. Furthermore, geosites hold considerable potential to attract geotourists, thereby contributing to local economic development. Tourism direct contribution to national GDP is one the highest among European countries, thus tourism plays for the Maltese Islands. Despite this, geotourism remains an underexplored resource, yet it has the potential to play a significant role in the local economy. This study aims to highlight the role of geoheritage and geotourism as resources for advancing sustainable tourism and geoconservation in the southern sector of Malta. This area presents significant opportunities for geotourism development. The study involved the inventory and quantitative assessment of potential geosites using widely recognized methodologies tailored to the local context. The analysis identified 18 potential geosites that can be recognized as both part of the Maltese natural heritage and tourist resources. Among these, four key geosites were identified as priorities for inclusion in a potential geotourism route, which also integrates nearby cultural heritage features. Additionally, the assessment methodology — applied for the first time in the investigated area — has proven to be a valuable support for geosite identification and can be extended to other Maltese sectors.