Malta 'needs all inclusive resorts'
Frosch Touristik International chief executive Dietmar Gunz believes that all that some tourists want is a bit of sun and a cheap holiday and so one had better cater for them. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.
The tourism sector in Malta is missing important all inclusive resorts that could attract more people to the island, according to the chief executive of Frosch Touristik International, Dietmar Gunz.
"They need to cater for that person who has €500 in his pocket and wants to come on holiday with his family without ending up short of cash," he said yesterday.
The concept Mr Gunz spoke about, which is similar to that offered on cruise liners, allows tourists to eat, drink and use the hotel services without having to spend any extra cash.
Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said a number of hotels in the north of the island were looking at the possibility of transforming their property into an all-inclusive resort.
The German tour operator, which last year brought a third of all German tourists who visited the island, is bringing 1,000 travel agents on a familiarisation visit over a four-week period so that they can sell Malta better.
The country had all the needed ingredients for a leisure holiday. People wanted to go to a place that was unique but also close, Mr Gunz said. However, tourists wanted their holiday destinations to be more accessible, which made flights out of regional airports all the more important. There was no need for frequent services but a weekly flight would be helpful, he said.
This winter saw a decline in seat capacity from Germany due to the cancellation of Ryanair's Bremen route and Germanwings dropping its twice weekly flights from Stuttgart and Cologne. However, Air Malta will introduce twice weekly flights to Stuttgart next month. "Our main responsibility is to ensure that there are people on those seats," Dr de Marco said.
He said that although there was no magic solution to the problems faced by the tourism industry, doing nothing was not an option. "This year will be a difficult year. We have to market ourselves harder than we did in previous years." The Malta Tourism Authority was launching television adverts in Germany in a bid to increase its reach.
The government wanted to affirm its commitment to the German market, the second most important for Malta, which brought a staggering 212,000 tourists in 1999, Dr de Marco said. Despite a downward trend that saw the numbers drop to 128,000 in 2003, things were improving again and 150,000 German tourists visited last year.
Dr de Marco said that although more could be done to improve the infrastructure, including the state of roads, about 30 per cent of tourists who came to Malta had already visited in the past. Last November, the president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, Kevin DeCesare, lashed out at the poor state of the Malta "product", describing it as plagued by filth, noise pollution and general untidiness.
Mr Gunz however said it was not a problem to sell Malta, which was seen as safe and rather clean.
Popular Stories
Update 3: Woman found dead in car,...
Updated: Woman dies in car crash
Part of Dwejra 'Azure window' collapses
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
The end of the bar that ‘never closed’
Bundy does not know whether to...
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
This WAS the night - Kurt makes it...
Petrol price up 6c
In Discussion
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
Gozo tunnel could take 5-7 years to...
CABS remote controlled aircraft shot...
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
Joseph Calleja condemns portrayal of...
Updated: Labour would give...
CABS drone shot down
Second group of migrants arrives
Adrian Vassallo in scathing...
6 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Charles Sammut
May 19th 2009, 10:04
@ Leo Said
The blame for unroadworthy cars cannot be placed entirely on the car hire firms. Most of the people who rent cars are used to driving on decent roads and so do not make allowances for the excuses that pass as roads here, especially country roads. Even local, pothole hardened drivers get caught out every now and then.
So 'all inclusive resorts' would ay least eliminate the need for visitors to hire cars and risk their lives on our lunar roads.
Dr Paul Sant Cassia (Cambridge)
May 19th 2009, 07:48
Mr Gunz is proposing something which has been studied by many Development Economists and Tourist experts. And the universal opinion of such people is the following: 1. These "all-inclusive" resorts do absolutely nothing for the local economy, but a great deal for outside investors; (2) That profits are repatriated and do not feed into the local economy; (3) that the only benefits are in employment (often further undercut by the importation of non-local workers; (4) that they contribute to a dual economy/dual society, etc. The only places where such all inclusive resorts are popular are those countries where the local economic infrastructure cannot provide the level of services (in a word, very poor societies); or, two, where the political leaders want to separate the visitors from the locals (as in Libya, etc) because they fear 'contamination' with new ideas. The spread of all-inclusive resorts in places like Malta and Cyprus is an indication of down-sizing in the spending power of tourists such operators can attract. In other words: tourists probably poorer than your average Maltese worker. I hope the Minister will treat such self-serving drivel with the contempt it deserves.
Ray Sultana
May 18th 2009, 16:05
There was once an all-inclusive resort, praised by all, even for the way it blended with the natural environment. It was called the Mistra Village. Today, speculators are proposing 16-storey blocks of concrete to replace it, which I am sure would make the north of the island so much more beautiful! I believe the Hon. De Marco truly wants to improve the situation in the tourism sector. It's a pity his colleagues responsible for the "environment and sustainable development" (like tourism, also under the direct responsibility of the Prime Minister) do not seem to be doing much to stop the permanent destruction of Malta, forever making Malta unattractive to tourists.
Phil Press
May 18th 2009, 14:09
Good thinking ?. So no tourist will use any local bars, cafe's or other shops, around the all-inclusive resorts. So all these will go out of business and close. so some developer can build more all-inclusive resorts What a great idea??!!. That means the roads can stop as they are, as the tourists will not have to venture out-side, the all inclusive resorts.
Leo Said
May 18th 2009, 11:05
Quote Dr.DeMarco: "The Malta Tourism Authority was launching television adverts in Germany in a bid to increase its reach".
I have as yet seen a Malta advert once during prime time broadcasting in conjunction with a soccer match on a private television station (Sat 1).
On the other hand, I have seen a very very short contribution in a programme on national television (ZDF: Leute Heute) presented by Malta's new Tourism Ambassador in Germany, Ms.Nina Ruge. I am afraid that the respective clip was not impressive at all.
As was reported elsewhere, during Ms.Ruge's visit to Malta, one could view, on German national television (ZDF: Zdf Reporter) a feature about language schools in Malta. The respective video clip was simply annihilating.
Again on ZDF Reporter last Thursday, one saw a report about car hire in Malta. The report was based on an on spot investigation (in Malta) by ADAC, the main motoring club in Germany. From 10 car hire firms, which were tested, only one provided service of note. All other cars were not considered road-worthy.
Dr.DeMarco should spend his authority's money in a more sensible way.
Frans van Avendonk
May 18th 2009, 10:55
A facility that could have been turned in an all inclusive resort is now a big hole: Mistra Village and that with the blessing of the authorities!