Inspectors to monitor timeshare promotion

The Malta Tourism Authority Regulatory Directorate is in the process of engaging two inspectors to control the promotion of timeshare.

The Tourism Ministry said the inspectors will monitor OPCs' activities and take all the necessary action to eliminate inconvenience and harassment to tourists. Over the past few months, the directorate fined marketing companies and nine OPCs over Lm6,100.

Harassment persists in spite of efforts to curb it, the ministry said.

The ministry warned that it will have no other option but to issue fresh regulations to bar OPCs from promoting timeshare in public areas.

It recalled the issuing last summer of regulations aimed at minimising the inconvenience to tourists by timeshare promoters.

The payment of fines for defaulting OPCs is done by drawing on bonds and guarantees which marketing companies were requested to make so that they would be able to operate.

The seven marketing companies responsible for the sale of timeshare were requested to deposit over Lm83,000 globally as a guarantee for the good behaviour of their OPCs.