Tourism watchdog explains reasons behind portal

The Malta Tourism Authority yesterday reacted to the judicial protest filed by Inspire Ltd last week, saying that, according to law, its main function was to promote Malta as a tourist destination and that the setting up of its portal, visitmalta.com, was carried out in advance agreement with the main stakeholders in the tourism market.

Inspire Ltd, operator of the website and booking engine choosemalta.com, had filed a judicial protest in the First Hall of the Civil Court describing the MTA's decision to launch a booking engine as "an abuse of power" and a "conflict of interest", the MTA being a regulator of the industry.

In a counter-protest yesterday, the MTA said hotels, travel agents, tour operators and car rentals had agreed on the setting up of the portal.

Its activity, the MTA said, was only promotional and a way of taking advantage of the powerful means that is the internet in the collective interest of the industry, rather than leaving it in the hands of an individual, or a private company.

The MTA stressed the importance and power of the word "visit" in the domain name, which was registered by the regulator to be of national benefit rather than benefit a particular entrepreneur, and also so that Malta could compete with other countries that used the internet to attract tourists.

Unlike a private portal, which could choose who and what to promote, the MTA's offered the services of everyone operating in the tourism industry, including choosemalta.com, and not only those it struck a commercial agreement with.

The counter-protest also states that the services on offer on visitmalta.com are not the same as those of choosemalta.com and are open to everyone licensed to offer a travelling service.

It would have been irresponsible of the authority to have allowed the use of the domain visitmalta.com by an individual, or a private company to the detriment of the tourism industry, the counter-protest said.

The MTA's web portal has also irked the Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise's Leisure and Tourism Economic Group, which also maintains it is in direct competition with the private sector and was setting a "very serious" precedent.

"With the recent launch of its web portal, visitmalta.com, the regulator of the tourism industry has entered into direct competition with us as private businesses," the chamber said.

"It is like having the Malta Transport Authority offering a taxi service, or the Malta Financial Services Authority opening an insurance company," it said.

For a number of weeks, the LTEG has been requesting a meeting with the MTA to discuss the repercussions its web portal would have on the private sector operating in the tourism industry. But, as yet, no reply was forthcoming, it continued.

The group has already stated publicly that the web portal should operate by having a direct link with the websites of all licensed travel agents.

It is also worried with the way the portal has been launched - with a large number of the online facilities still not operational.

"Also, if one tries to book a hotel in Malta for either February, or March, it results that they are all booked.

"This is not the proper way the visitmalta.com portal should have developed," the LTEG insisted, reiterating the urgent need for a meeting to be held with the MTA for its members - who also contribute to the authority's budget - to discuss the proper way forward.