A product called Malta

While queuing to buy cinema tickets recently, I noticed that the tourists in front of me were being given a little yellow booklet and some other advertising material. I too was given this booklet and I cringed when I read it. "You are the Brand," it shouts. Who is the brand? The tourists coming to our island? On reading it, I was mystified as to why it was being given to all and sundry. It is embarrassing to think of a tourist reading it. What is it supposed to communicate to them?

I am not going to go into the merits of this publication. Surely, very competent and qualified people must have come up with this booklet. "The Brand Platform is like a wedding cake," it continues. Wedding cake? And to illustrate all this? A picture of a woman's face painted in red with a white Maltese cross. What was the idea behind this? The first thing that crosses my mind when seeing it: football fans! Maybe it is in anticipation of the soon-to-be-coined euro?

The aim of this booklet's wisdom? "To have 400,000 Maltese citizens transformed into 400,000 Brand Managers living and breathing the Brand on a daily basis." The idea behind this promotion is a good one - trying to instil a sense of pride and loyalty in the Maltese population in order to improve our product.

Yes, everyone can make a difference, but is this the best way to promote it? Wouldn't the money spent on the creation, printing and distribution of this booklet have been better used for cleaning up the dirt all around for starters? Or maybe recruiting members of the public for mystery shopping in restaurants, shops and anything else being used by tourists - the airport, beach lidos, taxis, buses, karozzini etc?

The Malta Tourism Authority and the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment must take instant and harsh action against anyone caught infringing laws and standards while rewarding those who excel in their services and products. That is the only way people will learn.

Much has been written and argued about the state of tourism of our country. What about the state of the country itself?

Dirt, terrible roads, continuous construction, low standards in certain hotels and restaurants, bad service, high prices... we experience them ourselves every day. Many Maltese people care about their country and are expressing their frustrations at what's happening all around and the lack of action.

They want change but they cannot do it alone.