The setting was extraordinary. The music divine. The person conducting - by far one of the world's leading conductors. When Mro Riccardo Muti gave us a brilliant rendering of Porpora's Salve Regina and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater at St John's Co-Cathedral on September 5, what was happening on the night went beyond our own dreams.

The maestro was conducting the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini, which he has set up, ably demonstrating his belief in young people and in passing on his expertise to a new generation of capable musicians.

We had as soloists soprano Barbara Frittoli and mezzo-soprano Monica Bacelli, whose elegant voices blended beautifully with the baroque architecture of our co-cathedral.

I can only describe the event as moving and magical. It was held under the distinguished patronage of the President of Malta. We have had a summer with an unprecedented level of cultural and artistic events of the highest calibre.

Malta has now established itself as the destination that can offer such a unique experience for its own people and for visitors. It has all been happening in our midst. The Muti event at St John's Co-Cathedral was clearly the cherry on the cake.

Probably the greatest thing about it all is that it does not stop there - for at least two reasons: events will carry on with a vengeance even in the winter months. That is the standard that we have set up for ourselves and we have not the slightest intention to renege.

The Muti event is an appetiser of what has been agreed on as a guaranteed menu for the coming years. The agreement reached with him is to set up a Mediterranean Music Academy of which he has accepted our invitation to be its honorary president.

The seminar conducted by him in Malta on Italian opera has attracted students from different parts of the world. What will be happening in Malta once the academy is set up is on a far larger scale - it will not only anchor us firmly on the international artistic scene, but it will also mean that we have one more centre of excellence, itself serving to build up a new tourism niche, in line with Government's vision.

Training in tourism

Figures with regard to tourist arrivals, their spend as well as what this means for the tourism industry and the national economy remain positive. One need only have a close look at the quarterly report presented by MHRA at their press conference last Thursday to hear from the horse's mouth how, month after month, we are achieving growth and success.

The industry is looking forward to the coming months with optimism. The point that I like to reiterate is that, after registering such growth, the challenge ahead becomes that much harder since it is always more difficult to register growth on growth.

Having said that, while my own optimism remains cautious and I make sure to keep my own feet on the ground, with indicators for September and October appearing also positive, we shall soon be able to speak of an entire year to be proud of.

As of last November, there has not been a month where we did not only compare very favourably with the same month the former year, but over this period of time we have established the best results over the past six years.

A crucial ingredient to ensure future success is, on the one hand, the quality of the product that we offer as a country and in that respect the primary responsibility will always pertain to Government, and on the other hand on the quality of service that the tourism industry itself offers.

That is where training of workers in the tourism sector is of the essence. On Friday afternoon, it was my pleasure to deliver the closing address of the MHRA-MTA HOTSME Project at an international conference in Malta.

The aim of this project is to address the needs of hotels in the European Union, with a special reference to smaller accommodation establishments, where there is a lack of training opportunities.

The project provides managers and other employees of small and medium-sized hotels with the opportunity for continuous professional development through workplace learning. This project is co-financed by the European Commission up to a maximum of €439,086.

This project is of particular interest because the MHRA and the MTA are leading a team, made up of similar entities across five other EU member states: Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Portugal and Spain.

I believe that tourism is all about the level of satisfaction a tourist gets when he is visiting a country. To reach this level, all those who come into contact with the tourist should have the necessary training so that the tourist is assured of the best service and feels at home during his stay.

While I acknowledge that there is always more that needs to be done, especially to improve our product, we have come a long way through large-scale embellishment and rehabilitation projects, through taking better care of and presenting our cultural heritage more professionally, through investing in our environment, through providing the level of infrastructure that a modern country requires, and through being more service oriented than ever before.

Training is one of the areas we have addressed. Hundreds of young people have gained from the opening of the Institute for Tourism Studies, the reopening of MCAST and from tourism being added to the areas in which one can specialise at University.

Such initiatives need to be supplemented through other programmes, and that is where the project carried out with MHRA is significant. The direct contribution by MHRA towards the realisation of this programme shows not only the association's commitment to the tourism sector but also the co-operation that exists between the Ministry for Tourism and Culture, MTA and MHRA.

That is the one and only direction in which we need to keep moving: forward, acting together for the benefit of the trade, which is an important goal in its own right and through it for the benefit of the national economy.

43 years old

Malta celebrates its birthday this coming Friday. Malta enjoys an astounding history of 7,000 years and celebrates its birth as a sovereign state on Friday. It's been 43 years since Malta acquired Independence.

The Nationalist Party has been the key protagonist in this event and in many other major milestones in the country's history (our young membership of the European Union being the most recent milestone to add to the impressive list). That is why the party is organising various large-scale events on the Granaries in Floriana, culminating on Thursday with an address by the Prime Minister and Nationalist Party leader, Dr Lawrence Gonzi.

The theme behind the celebrations being organised this year is: 'Let us strengthen the success together - work, education, environment'. The celebrations are happening at a crucial moment in time for our country.

As ever, they are not only an occasion to look back at what has been achieved so far, but also, and even more so, to look forward at the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. The theme chosen by the party for this year's celebrations reflects the three pillars that Government has identified on which to concentrate its plans of action and commitment.

This year's celebrations are the last before the upcoming general election. It is a time to reflect seriously and objectively on how best to secure further growth for the country as a whole through which the people are able to put their minds at rest about their individual goals and needs.

Meeting each other on Il-Fosos throughout these celebrations, and particularly on the eve of Independence Day, is an annual event that I have always and will always look forward to.

info@franciszammitdimech.com, www.franciszammitdimech.com, http://franciszd.blogspot.com

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