Increase in price of gas detrimental to tourism

The second increase in the price of gas in a few months would be directly affecting tourism, the Labour Party's spokesman for the sector, Marie Louise Coleiro-Preca said.

A substantial increase in the price of gas was announced last months, four months after another increase had been brought into force.

Mrs Coleiro-Preca said in a statement that the increase, at a time when the tourism industry was going through tough times, worried those who were doing their utmost to keep the industry going.

This decision showed that the government was cut off from economic reality because while other countries were seeing what measures they could invent to stimulate the economy, the Maltese government was burdening industry.

Even the EU had accepted a reduction in the value added tax rate on tourism related services, something which has not been adopted by the Nationalist government.

Such a style of politicals was endangering the investment of millions of euros in this industry as well as thousands of jobs, she said