MLP aims to attract 1.6 million tourists

Labour Leader Alfred Sant yesterday said Malta "should aim high" and strive to attract 1.6 million tourists a year, which would boost expenditure by the sector by Lm200 million.

Speaking at the end of a conference in which the MLP unveiled its document 'The plan for a new beginning for Bugibba, St Paul's Bay, Qawra and Xemxija', Dr Sant said: "One has to be adventurous. Who dares wins and we have to take the bull by the horns and try to reach our objective. Maybe we won't make it, but we should still aim high."

After launching its overall plan for tourism, Dr Sant said it was now logical for the MLP to launch plans for various areas, starting with Bugibba.

Bugibba's plan mentions creating a Tourism Zone Management committee with executive powers to run and maintain the areas and serve as a one-stop shop for all operators.

It also includes issuing regulations so that construction activities do not interfere with tourism, offering incentives for hotel operators to demolish and re-erect hotels that are old or not up to standard, and offering fiscal incentives to those investing to increase the diversity of existing tourism facilities.

The MLP plan also talks about encouraging foreigners to spend the winter in Malta and embarking on a scheme with the private sector to encourage Maltese elderly people to stay in hotels in Bugibba in the winter.

The plan includes identifying public land where more hotels can be built, developing a large yacht marina and creating sandy beaches in the area, as well as building a car park for 3,000 vehicles and a number of smaller car parks, together with a park and ride scheme, and new bus terminus.

The conference was addressed by several speakers. Labour tourism spokesman Evarist Bartolo said there was a lack of long-term planning in the sector, as politicians thought about five-year cycles, while those who invested in tourism wanted to fill their beds and restaurants now rather than plan for the future.

"More long-term plans are needed," he said, "but one must snap out of the quick-fix mentality, as our competition has more foresight and is planning ahead."

Journalist Martin Debattista said that by analysing various Websites it transpired that there was often a problem of meeting expectations and today it was much easier to hide problems.

Surveys in the UK and the US showed that tourists were more likely to believe reviews by fellow tourists than a hotel's Website, while many local hotel Websites were either still under construction or outdated.

A spokesman for bar and restaurant owners complained that the laws compelling establishments to switch off music by 11 p.m. in a tourist area like Bugibba was medieval.

MLP spokesman Charles Buhagiar spoke about access problems to the area, even saying that when the St Paul's Bay bypass would be completed there would still be traffic jams in Burmarrad.

Deputy leader Charles Mangion said projects, even those carried out by the government, had to begin and end on stipulated dates and the MLP would ensure this happened when in government.

In a reaction, the Tourism Ministry said it could not help but notice how the MLP excelled at making promises without saying how it intended to bring them to fruition.

"Most of the MLP proposals are not based on any concrete facts. So much so, that it says it will attract 1.6 million tourists without linking this figure to other relevant facts," the ministry added.