Tourism proving resilient - WTO head

Tourism has proven to be very resilient in spite of the difficult situations it has had to face in the past two years, including terrorism and Sars, World Tourism Organisation secretary general Francesco Frangialli said yesterday.

Mr Frangialli was speaking at separate meetings with President Guido de Marco and Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech during a visit to Malta.

He was in Malta to attend the 40th meeting of the World Tourism Organisation's Commission for Europe ending today, which, among other subjects, discussed the problems affecting global tourism and the effects of European Union enlargement on the industry.

The meeting, being held at the Corinthia Hotel, in Attard, was also attended by Dr Zammit Dimech. It is being followed by a seminar on "European integration in the era of the European Union's enlargement and the development of tourism", being held this afternoon and tomorrow.

Peter Keller, head of the Swiss government's tourism service and chairman of the commission, said at the conference that an effective tourism policy required a skilful national tourism administration.

Prof. Keller described Malta as "a tourism country managed with the efficiency of a corporation".

He said that the public private partnership concept in Malta really worked.

"Malta is making full use of the advantages a small state has when it comes to cooperation."