Bugibba-Qawra improvements 'barely scratch the surface' - MHRA

The MHRA said today that works done so far to improve Busibba and Qawra for tourists"barely scratch the surface".

Reacting to a story in The Times Business about a number of hotels planning to close for the winter, the hoteliers' association said such closures would result in an overall downturn in business for many retail and catering outlets in the area. However, in spite of these negative consequences, it seemed inevitable that many hotels could simply not sustain their operation during the leaner months, especially after such a dismal summer.

"Over the past nine months MHRA has had numerous meetings with various authorities and also issued several media statements, strongly voicing its concerns about the overall state of the Bugibba/Qawra area, which lacks the most basic facilities, such as street lighting, proper road surfacing and general upkeep. Following MHRA's insistence, a series of sorely needed embellishment works were completed last June. However the authorities have barely scratched the surface in terms of the overall improvements required to transform the area into a truly attractive and modern-day holiday resort.," the association said.

"Hotels and catering establishments are constantly being put under increasing pressure to continually upgrade their product and to operate well within EU levels. However these same establishments remain located in what has repeatedly been termed as a disaster zone, characterised by the insufficient lighting, uneven pavements, broken roads, shabby and desolate surroundings, that this area has become."

The association said this sorry state of affairs, coupled by the downturn in tourism due to the global economic crisis, has left hoteliers gasping for sufficient business levels to attain a sustainable operation. Over and above this stark reality, operators have been dealt a final blow through rapidly escalating utility tariffs and Government induced costs. I

The MHRA said it had already suggested to the Government that tourism operators in such highly seasonal areas be granted a low season benefit package, enabling them either to remain in operation, or at least to retain their staff complement during the leaner months. This scenario had been successfully applied in several Mediterranean countries which experienced similar tourism trends.

"The situation has in fact become so bleak, that certain hotels and restaurants in the area are not only considering a temporary winter closure, but a permanent change of use by abandoning the tourism sector altogether. Stringent legal and commercial requirements imposed on the hotel and restaurant sectors are now amounting to expenses levels which simply cannot be maintained on current dwindling revenues."