Trade fairs competition

I do not understand why exhibitors and the public may be deprived of another venue for the organisation of fairs, namely the ever so popular Trade Fair Grounds in Naxxar. We are living at a time when Malta is proud of being an EU country. We boast of having free trade, liberalisation and globalisation. We are against monopolies, no matter where they come from.

The Times, in a January editorial, questioned whether there was room for two venues. This really came as a surprise from a newspaper that has always been in favour of free trade, which EU membership has promoted.

We have hundreds of the same businesses in Malta that have to compete with each other, such as furniture showrooms, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels as well as several radio stations and daily and weekly newspapers. So what is so wrong in having two fair venues?

The argument against having more than one fair was that exhibitors would have to take part in more than one and they would not be able to afford the cost. The same happens to the same people in business when they advertise their products. They have to do so on various media in order to reach a larger section of the public.

With the same argument brought by The Times, we would retain only one radio station and one newspaper and ban all the others. This would save advertisers a lot of money. But this, of course, is absurd.

So let common sense prevail. I urge the authorities not to deprive us of pluralistic activities and the right of choice.