Improving the quality of the tourism product

I refer to the letter entitled Unnecessary Clampdown by Stephan Rizzo (June 30).

The correspondent claims that "MTA officials visited various catering establishments all over Malta ordering owners to remove their outside furniture, plants... umbrellas, canopies, etc that have an advertisement on them."

The exercise referred to was intended to sensitise the industry towards the need to improve our tourism product and adopt a harmonised approach towards a better quality offer.

The issue is not whether local companies "are being denied the right to promote their product" but that a number of operators with an encroachment on government property, some of which are occupying historical sites, need to upgrade their product.

A tourism zone with a strong presence of commercial establishments portraying a mix of umbrellas of varied shapes, colours and assorted advertisements promoting an array of soft drinks, beer, bottled water or ice-cream does not give the impression of an upmarket destination. The quality of the furnishings of our establishments are an integral part of the product we offer.

To be able to encourage the industry towards achieving this objective, the MTA is gradually including, in various prime localities, a requirement in the licence conditions it issues that indicates that tables and chairs are to be of good quality and that umbrellas are to be of uniform colour and good quality fabric, with no advertisements displayed other than the name of the establishment in respect of which the permit is granted. This condition will cover the cities of Valletta, Mdina, the Cittadella, the historical core of our older villages, as well as the core of other tourism zones.

The visit effected by MTA officials that the correspondent is referring to was carried out along the St Julians and Sliema promenade where we have the highest concentration of five-star hotels. Contrary to the impression of the correspondent, MTA officials were imposing no deadlines for now, but were drawing the attention of the licensees of various establishments towards the dire need to upgrade their product in this respect and subsequently conforming to the conditions of their licence.