Friday, 14th November 2008

Tourism can weather the storm ahead - de Marco

Maltese tourism can weather the storm gathering as a result of the international financial crisis if stakeholders and the government work together, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Mario de Marco said.

He was speaking at the 2008 World Travel Market held this week in London.

Dr de Marco said the financial crisis was hitting the purchasing power of people all over the world just after soaring fuel prices this summer crippled the airline industry, bringing big names in the industry to their knees.

Travel trends are constantly changing, he said, with people travelling less and being more price conscious in choosing their destinations. Nonetheless, he insisted that he remains confident that the local industry can pull through.

The fair is an annual fixture that is considered to be one of the top tourism conventions in the world, bringing together businesses and providing a platform. This year, some 5,500 exhibitors from 200 countries and regions took part, including the Malta Tourism Authority and other local entrepreneurs.

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Comments

phil press (on 14/11/08)

@Karl. Just have a look a the state of the € today, against other currencies, that is no encouragement, to go on holiday any where in the E.U.

Paul Smith (on 14/11/08)

MY comments where mainly aimed at the global economic train wreck rather than what you pay hotel staff. As for hotel staff, being an ex-employee of a Maltese Hotel, the only people whom are paid well are over priced managment and not bar staff restuarnt staff and general admin staff. The amount of Hotel HR managers, hotel managers, food and beverage managers being paid large salaries plus adding zero productivity to the hotel is shocking.

lgalea (on 14/11/08)

Karl Abela
So do you want cheap labour Karl? Thanks for letting us know how you wish the workers to be treated. Those days are over Karl, thanks to the Labour Government under Dom Mintoff, although we are now again seeing cheap labour of foreign workers and illegal immigrants competing with Maltese workers in our own country.

What you should have referred to are the amount of bills and taxes that everyone, households, industry, hotels, EVERYONE is burdened with due to the sheer incompetence of the various Nationalist Governments and now Gonzipn.

Since you have included yourself when you said that "I work directly in the industry and I can tell you that the biggest drawback for hotels is the high wages that we need to pay", the WE perhaps means that you employ people and have to pay their wages. Thanks for letting us know and how much you appreciate workers and how you want them treated.

Karl Abela (on 14/11/08)

Paul, the governement has increased the MTA funding by 3.5 mill Euro which is a good start. Other than that, its up to the Hotels to price competitvely and operate more efficiently so that we can produce a more competitive product.

I work directly in the industry and I can tell you that the biggest drawback for hotels is the high wages that we need to pay. Our rival countries whose prices are cheaper pay their staff Lm1 to Lm3 a day whilst in Malta the average non managerial wage is Lm24 a day.

You make the sums.

Paul Smith (on 14/11/08)

What's he gonna do? Pay people to come on holiday to Malta?