While the trend in the European tourism industry has been for years moving fast towards low-cost airlines, Internet bookings and short weekend breaks, our country keeps on arguing and delaying a decision on low-cost airlines. The reason for the delay was mainly to protect our national airline and incoming tour operators.
The results - Air Malta posts a Lm2.3 million operating loss and persists with its trend of flying half-empty planes, still not catering for Internet bookings and operating a miserable winter schedule (October-March), eliminating destinations such as Spain, Portugal and Hungary completely from its schedule.
Half or three-quarters of Malta International Airport's boarding gates are empty, especially during late morning and afternoon hours, while MIA feels comfortable comparing its hefty landing charges to Heathrow's.
The hefty Lm20 departure tax compounded problems. Even though since last year Air Malta has slashed fares, the hefty departure tax has discouraged many Maltese from going abroad, especially for short holidays.
The fuel surcharge charged by a number of traditional airlines such as Air Malta, BA and Lufthansa (not charged by low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet) and averaging around Lm16, also helped to keep fares high.
The argument that Air Malta already faces competition from other foreign airlines is also open to discussion. One must bear in mind that when travelling with a foreign airline such as Alitalia and Lufthansa, travellers often have to use connecting flights and not direct flights, taking at least five hours to reach a European destination.
Only in cases where these destinations are not served directly by Air Malta will travellers opt to fly with a foreign airline. So Air Malta only faces direct competition mainly on the Frankfurt, Milan, Rome and Gatwick routes.
Airlines such as Alitalia, BA and Lufthansa are used to operating in airports such as Malpensa, Gatwick and Berlin, where a mix of charters, low-cost carriers and traditional airlines exist. So there is no reason why they should pull out of Malta when low-cost carriers start operating.
These airlines are used by Maltese regularly for long-haul travel and cargo transport. Besides, if the government travel levy is reduced, they could also be able to offer competitive fares to Europe, together with Air Malta.
Recently I met a German on a tour operator flight from Munich. He told me that a week's holiday to Malta, including flight and seven nights in a three-star hotel had only cost him about Lm120. I wonder how much profit the hotel is making out of this type of holidays.
Besides, transport to/from the airport and meals are often included in the price, discouraging tourists from renting a car or eating outside their hotels in our local restaurants.
The result is that most of our restaurants are empty and: cars are left parked outside the rental garages, especially during the winter months.
Yet despite these cheap prices offered to tour operators and our government's concern to protect these operators against the advent of low-cost airlines, some of them are already thinking of pulling out of Malta. The truth is that the tour operator business within Europe is declining and shifting towards independent travelling using mainly low-cost airlines.
Sometimes, when I'm abroad in months such as October, and the weather in places such as Germany and Hungary is already dull and cold with temperatures already hovering around 5°C, I wonder why our country is not flooded with tourists.
Some argue that Malta does not need "low-cost" tourists. Judging from some visits to Bugibba, I'm not very sure that, with the absence of low-cost airlines, our country is managing to attract upmarket tourists after all.
One of the issues raised against the operation of low-cost airlines was that they seek financial incentives to commence operations from a destination.
Once the much talked about MTA branding exercise does not seem to be achieving the desired results, why not allocate some of the MTA funds to the advent of low-cost airlines?
The exposure that destinations get on a number of low-cost airlines' in-flight magazines, street advertising and Websites such as Ryanair, Skyeurope and Virgin Express will surely justify such incentives.
We should also make sure that once we facilitate the operation of low-cost airlines, our country is well prepared for the influx.
When one arrives at Malta International Airport, one immediately notices the lack of a public bus terminus and hotel minibus service, ferrying passengers directly to their hotel, at a much cheaper fare than a taxi.
The lack of small, no-frill hotels scattered around our villages should also be addressed. One of the main pleasures of independent travelling is mixing with locals in markets, bars, restaurants, etc. Such hotels in areas like Marsa-xlokk, Naxxar, Siggiewi, Rabat and Vittoriosa would certainly also help to boost business around the island, and not only in tourist areas.
Such hotels are normally found in restored old buildings, like large houses and convents. Such restoration would definitely benefit our country more than the apartment blocks replacing our beautiful old houses.