Never mind the quality

A recent television debate concerning the tourism industry in Malta and Gozo may have been going the wrong way. Once again the issues were more quantitative than qualitative. The focus was on tourism numbers and the prices being charged in restaurants and other commercial outlets. We are not discussing the real issues that concern private enterprise and their professionalism, or rather, in many cases a complete lack of this professionalism!

We need to be looking at quality and value for money; we do have a diverse product and culture (fact); we do have the infrastructure for a sustainable tourism activity (fact) and we certainly have the human resources, trained or otherwise, available and ready to work in the industry, if only we gave them the motivation, the incentives and initiative to work (fact). But what we do not have is the same motivation and innovation in the private sector. Instead we have an apathetic and laid-back sector that has rested on its rather crumpled laurels for far too long. Let me just give a few examples that I have witnessed over the past months, where our quality and value for money are definitely lacking.

It would be an attraction to see vendors selling local traditional food and crafts at the entrance to our city, if this were done in an innovative and traditional manner. Yet what we have got in this part of our Baroque capital is a miserable assembly of rather tacky and unhygienic stalls presenting their wares in the most unattractive way.

The country bars in rural areas that are presenting themselves as traditional Maltese restaurants could offer a superb alternative to the haute cuisine or international outlets one has now become accustomed to all around the islands; but like some of these, the traditional and rural outlets are not focusing on quality and value for money but on quantity and price, primarily, a price that brings a higher return on investment in the shortest time possible. These, again, could be an asset to our tourism product with their own unique and indigenous offering.

Civic pride in our towns and villages has improved over these past years, especially with the establishment of local councils, but the continuous ignorance of some people to established norms of conduct is illustrated by piles of waste beside the bring-in sites or at kerb sides. This shows that there is still some way to go.

The irony of all this is that the local council budgets need to allocate a large proportion of their costs to clean up these sites and the locality - funding that could go towards enhancing the environment, creating natural and historical attractions and improving our quality of life. Instead we spend this money to right the wrongs of some mindless persons.

The general attitude of people working in the tourism industry as well as some members of local society has become very arrogant. People seem to be looking on the service industry as a sign of weakness, a sign that we are still subservient to foreigners, yet the tourism industry expresses a diversity - a diversity of cultures, history and traditions and a diversity of characteristics. There is nothing subservient in this socio-educational experience and activity; if anything, it could be lucrative for a broad section of the local community if only we could emphasise the quality and value for money through sincere hospitality and service to others.

These are just some of the issues we need to analyse and discuss when we talk about how we should improve our tourism industry. Apportioning blame and looking at the quantitative issues, alone, will not do an efficient and effective job. The government's role is more of facilitator and policy maker, our role is one of innovator and implementer.

It is only by working together that we will come up with the right recipe for this industry that has now been dogged by years of stagnation and apathy. Yes, we need to mind the quality above all else!

Mr Zarb is a tourism journalist and Vice President of the European Union of Tourism Officers (EUTO).