Editorial

Two weeks ago, following the government's decision to give the green light to two major low-cost airlines to operate to Malta, we commented editorially that though this was obviously welcome, it was not enough to see our tourist industry out of the woods.

We argued that there has to be a determined effort all round to improve the Malta product because it was one thing getting more tourists, but quite another meeting their expectations and giving them good value for money. A satisfied tourist is likely to return, tell all his friends about the wonderful time he had in Malta (the most basic, but perhaps the most efficient form of publicity for the island) and persuade enough of them to try the island out for themselves.

Repeat business is something all tourism operators prize. The obverse of that, of course, is that it takes one bad experience not only to make that tourist resolve never to come again, but also to tell all his friends about it, creating the worst kind of bad publicity.

Most of what we said here two weeks ago has been borne out by our latest public opinion survey. For example, 62.3 per cent of those interviewed welcomed the arrival of low-cost airlines as a way to reverse the downturn in tourism and hopefully consolidate our position in future. However, 34.7 per cent are not convinced that low-cost airlines are the solution.

The single most important factor being blamed for the loss of Malta's attractiveness to tourists is high prices. Many are convinced that Malta has become a far too expensive destination in terms of value for money. Already the cost of flights to get here is quite high (the effect of low-cost airlines will take some time to be felt, and then on only a few routes as yet).

For example, prices charged by most restaurants (with mark-ups of up to 200 per cent on wines) are way too high - not to mention appalling standards of service in quite a few cases. We have had a constant stream of letters from tourists and locals complaining about the exorbitant taxi fares, and even charges for karozzin rides. This, one must say, in contrast to public transport fares which are considered cheap - although some tourists are overcharged by bus drivers too.

When will taxi drivers put it into their heads that if they charge reasonable rates their custom will increase, even among the locals? There should be boards put up at strategic points with a list of average taxi charges to specific destinations, in order to guide unsuspecting tourists - who otherwise end up paying Lm10 for a ride from Valletta to the Ferries in Sliema, for example.

Of course the sin of overcharging tourists is quite widespread and not limited to taxi-drivers and restaurants. As one frequent visitor to Malta writes in this issue, the alternative is to get Maltese residents to do the shopping for them!

Another major contributor to the bad image tourists have of Malta is the environment. And that's not just the rubbish piling in certain streets, or the trash littering our few sandy beaches, but also the dust and noise caused by the incessant construction work. Indeed, the image of a "permanent construction site" is hard for the island to shake off. When will our building contractors adopt the safety and environmental-care measures practised by their foreign counterparts? And why are we so negligent in finishing road works properly?

Needless to say, although the campaign itself has not taken off, the message behind the Brand Malta exercise cannot be faulted: every single one of us, living on these islands, has to feel that he or she is responsible for giving the right impression of Malta (a "brand manager").

Can we really and honestly say that we always give service with a smile? Are we always courteous and accommodating? These attitudes are what tourists look out for - it is the lack of courtesy and sullen behaviour which turns people, and not just tourists, off. So it is no wonder that respondents to our survey, when asked what needs to be done to strengthen tourism, insisted that prices should be lower and kept under control, that the environment should be cleaner and be upgraded, that all of us should show greater courtesy, and that we provide good quality, creative entertainment and innovative events.

Major efforts have been made by the Malta Tourism Authority and tourism operators to make the tourist scene livelier and more entertaining, but clearly this needs complementing by an all-round effort from all those involved, namely each and every one of us.