Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said the government-private sector five-year plan on tourism was not cast in stone and would be updated according to the changing times.

Tourists were opting for shorter holidays and were travelling more frequently. There was also less dependence on tour operators, with tourists booking via the internet on their own, generally at the last minute.

The country had to be able to update its policies at the eleventh hour. The government wanted to continue working with the several sectors including tour operators, Air Malta, other airlines, local councils, hoteliers, the Institute of Tourism Studies, University, the Employment and Training Corporation, internal tourism operators, unions, small businesses, guides, host families and the opposition. There was no space for partisan politics in tourism.

Dr de Marco said when tourism did well, it had a ripple effect on other sectors. The government wanted to encourage investment in this sector, diversify the product and adopt a policy of encouraging the greatest number of transport connections possible without being detrimental to Air Malta.

Low-cost airlines were operating to and from Malta, the Malta Tourism Authority's budget had been increased, Malta was being sold more widely on the internet and there was more investment in tourism projects.

All this investment had borne results, and last year was a record year for tourism with 1.2 million arrivals. There were indications that this could be another good year with an increase of 38,000 tourists or 22 per cent being registered in the first quarter over the same period last year. There was also a 13 per cent increase in bed-nights.

The number of tourists had not increased to the detriment of Air Malta, which last winter carried 15 per cent more passangers than in the same period last year in spite of the competition by low-cost airlines. Cruise liner tourists were also increasing.

Dr de Marco warned that the country should keep its feet on the ground because external factors could pose problems, among them the sterling-euro exchange rate and the higher price of oil.

He pointed out that villages had their own tourism potential which should be developed. Hotels and restaurants had to keep improving their service.

The government, he said, wanted tourism to be a sustainable industry. The process to renew the action plan for the sector had already started, and he wanted the renewal to follow as wide a consultation as possible.

Product Malta had to be stressed, it had to be diversified and advantage had to be taken of the fact that tourism now fell within the Prime Minister's ministry. The country had to use €800 million of structural funds, a substantial amount of which in improvement projects, including the restoration of the bastions and the improvement of bays. But small projects and initiatives which could make a difference also had to be considered. Projects had to be maintained to enjoy a longer life.

A new emphasis had to be made on rural tourism. There were many villages in Malta which could help offer a different experience to tourists. It was important to continue developing the concept of boutique hotels, cultural, nautical and yachting tourism. Dr de Marco said he would like to see more yacht marinas developed.

He said that the conferences sector was another which could be developed to bring over more tourists in winter so that Malta did not remain a summer destination but tourists visited all year round.

It was also important to continue implementing the project for the regeneration of Grand Harbour. The Cottonera Waterfront had to continue being given a new lease of life and it was also important to continue improving Gozo, transforming it into an eco-island, into something that was unique for the Mediterranean. A different marketing concept had to be applied for Gozo than that applied for Malta. More cruise liners should be encouraged to anchor off Gozo.

The government, Dr de Marco said, wanted to use some of the EU structural funds to continue offering training for workers in the sector and all those who came into contact with tourists. The country had to ensure that it improved the experience of visitors, it had to be innovative in what it offered, and it had to offer what was traditional to Malta and Gozo and what only Malta and Gozo were doing.

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