Tourism should be our first choice!

The sudden hype last week over the issues that face tourism operators and hoteliers today was part of an attempt to pass the buck of responsibility again! We have seen this typical game of "pass the parcel" all too often on these islands - the hotelier passes the blame onto the government and the Malta Tourism Authority, the opposition passes the buck back to the government (forgetting that they too should have the responsibility of giving sound and credible advice that will help in developing sustainable national strategies), and the tour operator blames the hotelier and the government for not providing the right environment for a sound business proposition.

I have been following all this toing and froing and I really believe that the time has come for us all to take a good long hard look at ourselves and the way we self-destruct with our own criticism and the time we waste at the expense of our national economy.

At the meeting of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association last week, I am told, some hoteliers felt that the first three months of this year have been a "wash-out". I believe the word "wash-out" has a number of definitions here. Was it a wash-out because of the lack of numbers or was it a wash-out because of the return on investment and the somewhat unrealistic expectations we set ourselves? Perhaps it was a wash-out because the indicators show an overall increase in tourism figures for 2005 (1.17 million) with a slight improvement for the 5- and 4-star markets but a drop for the 3-star hotel market.

Alternatively, could it have been a wash-out because the tourism market is changing and we cannot keep pace with these changes?

The Times has reported that many stakeholders are lobbying for the introduction of low-cost airline flights to Malta.

However, perhaps it is time to make it clear that these alternative transport methods should not be seen as the solution to the problems affecting tour operator business but need to be seen as an opportunity to create new markets and new products and services.

Low cost is certainly not just low fares! But low cost gives the potential visitor the opportunity to experience the destination in a more holistic fashion; most low-cost airline clients prefer to pursue specific niches such as golfing, diving or even cruise travel.

I get the distinct feeling that most industry leaders today in Malta and Gozo are after more of the same when it comes to choosing a market or tourism niche. Much as we all agree, and I certainly would agree, that the branding exercise being undertaken by MTA is a wonderful project, yet, the industry does not seem to have the persistence to make this work in practice; we prefer to choose the easy way out. We would prefer the wait-and-see attitude, hoping for some miracle. We need to work harder to see those miracles happen.

Some weeks back I attended a public consultation meeting with the Prime Minister in Cottonera regarding EU funds and the projects to be undertaken. Most persons there were eager to list their own wish lists for the industry but very few, I thought, were actually fired with enthusiasm at the thought of boosting innovation thanks to the funds that are available to us as members of one of the largest and strongest world economic groups.

What we need to do is work together as one group to revive the tourism industry; there needs to be better synergy, more teamwork and less pass-the-parcel games among the various NGOs, associations and government entities and departments.

Ironically, we were told that First Choice had decided not to feature Malta and Gozo in their brochures; perhaps it is time we made our first choice as Maltese and Gozitans: to promise visitors a warm welcome to this island of sunshine and history. It is called getting back to basics. Those who know the history of the development of tourism in these islands can surely see the sense in this retrospective concept!

welcomejuliette@hotmail.com