Editorial

When there were first stirrings of a recovery in the tourism sector, last November, most people wisely decided to stick to the adage that one set of figures does not a summer make. The previous 12 months had been full of drama, with calls by an impetuous member of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) for the resignation of Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech. The Malta Tourism Authority, too, experienced a few shock-waves after some gung-ho behaviour before settling down to normality.

Then came December and the first quarter of 2007. The number of arrivals by the end of April was more than encouraging and projections for the summer months indicated an up-turn over last year's dismal figures. The summer months are now with us and last week the MHRA was informing us that arrivals during June and July were significantly up and hotels are "fully booked". This is the sweetest phrase in the English language for hoteliers and restaurateurs and translates into that higher income for which they all crave.

It is expected that this upswing will continue up to October. The winter months remain too difficult to call, not least because there is an increased volatility in market destinations during that period. However, short of a disaster, for example an unduly prolonged crisis in the financial markets where tens of billions of pounds were swept away in the turmoil of stock exchanges all over the world, the prognosis is good.

The surge in arrivals this year is good news for the industry and for the island in general.

It does seem to demonstrate what can be accomplished when all stakeholders, government, the Tourism Authority, MHRA pull the same rope in the same direction. The almost internecine warfare that characterised last year is thankfully a thing of the past.

That it has come to an end is due to a number of factors. Low-cost airlines Clickair, German Wings and, not least, Ryanair, have made a good contribution by expanding the number of destinations from which tourists can fly to Malta (at a cheaper rate than that offered by scheduled airlines). The national carrier, Air Malta, has boosted its figures substantially and seems to be on target in its flight from loss to profit. An improvement in marketing Malta and its wares seems to be having the desired effect.

This summer's burst of cultural activities may also have contributed to the increase in the number of guests that have visited us so far, but the effect needs to be more measurable than it is at present. Were the concerts, popular and serious, that drew such large crowds actually advertised abroad? Was Maltafest advertised, with its colossal brew of entertainment?

There has been criticism, from this newspaper too, about the manners or lack of them in the construction industry, the dust and noise pollution it creates and the deleterious effects this has on the tourism industry. Certainly, a more controlled construction industry would greatly enhance the island as a destination centre that is more friendly and welcoming in all aspects. And, talking of bad manners, while English-language students have done their bit to boost figures, tourists staying in the same hotels have complained bitterly about their rowdiness and worse. In most cases, that probably means a prospective second-time visitor has been lost.

We must not, in short, get carried away. We may feel well pleased; that's fair enough. We should beware that this feeling does not sink into complacency. Every contact a tourist has with us, be it at the hotel he is staying, the restaurant he is eating at, the beach he is swimming in, the tour he has been persuaded to take, the grocer or butcher he visits, the bus he boards, the taxi he takes - every contact has to be positive, friendly, honest and genuinely welcoming.