Bad advert for Malta

As a Maltese national residing abroad, it is always a matter of pride and pleasure for me to hear Malta being mentioned or promoted as in the latest Malta adverts on Zurich's trams. However, this was not the case last Friday (October 6).

Malta received some 20 minutes of television coverage on a Friday evening by a German-speaking channel viewed in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Unfortunately, this exposure was by no means a positive one. The programme is called "Zerstörte Traumreise" (destroyed/ruined dream holidays) and shows videos taken by people on their holiday. The video was taken in a hotel in Bugibba where the promised sea view was a view over a plot of land used as a dump. I felt my cheeks burn as the video camera focused on the dumped mattress and other waste left lying there. The rest of the video showed the grimy hotel room among other things.

At this point I ask myself what is the use of spending money for promotion abroad when this is what is on offer. I feel I cannot recommend Malta to my friends and colleagues here anymore. A colleague of mine who was on holiday in Malta last June returned complaining that their four-star hotel was more like a youth hostel full of noisy students. Is this the Brand Malta concept I have been reading so many letters about? Are the letters of complaint appearing regularly in The Times falling on deaf ears?

We need to be aware that Malta is no out-of-the-ordinary destination. There are other Mediterranean destinations in Europe such as south Spain, Greece and its islands, Sicily, and Sardinia which are tough competitors for Malta. I hope that the authorities in question will not just hear but also listen to the feedback given by Malta's visitors. Tourism is crucial for our island's economy; let's give it a boost before it is too late.