Conference focuses on tourism in small islands

The importance of tourism for the economic activity of small islands was the focus of a conference on the Development Of A Standard For Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean, held at the Foundation for International Studies, Valletta.

Foundation CEO Lino Briguglio described the research and training programmes that have been conducted by the Islands and Small States Institute on the economic, social and cultural aspects of sustainable tourism.

The Permanent Secretary at the Tourism and Culture Ministry, Peter Portelli, said the ultimate aim of the Maltese authorities was to ensure that tourism was sustainable so as to improve Malta's reputation as an enjoyable tourism destination.

The conference was organised by the Islands and Small States Institute in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority.

It was coordinated by the institute on behalf of partnerships involved in the project, namely the Chamber of the Dodecanese Region in Greece, the Tourism Ministry of Greece, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, the University of the Aegean in Greece, and the Melandro Mountain Area Community in Italy.

The keynote speeches were followed by group discussions dealing with standards in tourist enterprises and in tourist destinations.