Tourism must respond to climate change challenges

More effort should be made to create a closer link between the tourism sector and climate change awareness, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Mario de Marco said yesterday as Malta yesterday marked World Tourism Day.

Speaking during a tree-planting ceremony at Hastings Gardens in Valletta, Dr de Marco said that the tourism sector had experienced a positive year so far, keeping in mind the 12 per cent increase in the tourism industry for the first six months. He expressed hope that this positive growth would be maintained until the end of the year.

This, he said, would not be easy, as international challenges threatened to affect the tourism market. The international financial turmoil coupled with the cost of oil were posing a threat to some of Malta's tourism sources, Dr de Marco said. He appealed to all businessmen and entrepreneurs involved in the tourism sector to provide the best possible service, to try to cushion the blow which might be felt in the future.

Dr de Marco also outlined some initiatives undertaken by the Tourism Ministry to raise environmental awareness within the sector. Among these were the eco-certifications scheme, introduced in 2002 by the MTA to promote energy and water savings and waste reduction, ultimately raising environmental awareness.