Let us be proportional

I refer to the article (March 29) wherein it is reported that Hans Cauchi is suggesting Malta builds about five or six golf courses. He makes the point that Malta is lagging behind and not attracting tourists because it is selling itself badly. That may well be so, but I do not believe it is for the same reasons that Mr Cauchi suggests.

Mr Cauchi tells us how Portugal is building 40 golf courses in an area that is one-and-a-half times the size of Malta. Now the land size of Portugal is 91,951 sq km. That is 294 times the size of Malta. The Portuguese planners are not stupid. They have given up a small fraction of their land to golf knowing that there is the rest of the country to enjoy.

If Malta followed Portugal's example we should probably not even have given up the land we did give up for the one golf course at Marsa, let alone be thinking of sacrificing more land.

To put things in perspective, if Malta were to have an additional golf course Portugal would proportionately build 588 golf courses (2 x 294). Mr Cauchi's point even makes just as little sense if you ignore the land use factor and just think of the economics.

Reaching Portugal from Britain, or any other golf enjoying nation for that matter, is just as easy as reaching Malta.

Now if we are to compete with Portugal each potential golfer would have to weigh up either going to Portugal where he or she will find at least 40 golf courses or Malta where he or she would find five. That is 35 fewer golf courses. The choice would be pretty obvious would it not?

Malta just cannot compete with other existing and planned golf destinations. Not now, not ever. We do have other things to attract people here and we would be best advised to start looking after, investing in, and promoting those before we get more harebrained golf ideas.