Tourists needed now, not later

After seeing the reports on the initiative to be taken by the Minister of Tourism to regenerate Bugibba, Qawra, St Paul's Bay and Xemxija, suddenly memories came back to me of when in 1987 after the general election the Tourism Minster of the time started taking walks along Sliema promenade and Bugibba promenade, to see about upgrading these important areas which generated most of the money from tourism, one of the top economic sectors of the time.

These were meant to be fruitful, but turned sour, because in both areas nothing was done until in 1996/7/8 the Labour government revamped Bugibba and part of Qawra and St Paul's Bay. This was done in a very short time.

Compare this to the Xemxija promenade, which has been under development for three to four years and where the first stage is already in need of refurbishment and still more work needs to be done. Then we have Sliema/St Julians, where, 10 years on, work is still going on. Who knows when it will be finished?

We need tourists "today, not tomorrow", as we say in Maltese, so I am confused when the minister talks the revamping project lasting until 2008/9.

A Maltese saying talks of "trying to patch green felt with pumpkin", but here we are "patching up the pumpkin with green felt", because costs are never as proposed but what they end up to be - always more.

On the other hand the leader of the Opposition, who will be in power in a short time, has an action plan ready to go.

Let us have less talk and more action from this government.