A good number of hotels were well past their "expiry date" and had to invest heavily in refurbishment, Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said yesterday.

He urged the creation of boutique hotels, which would provide that special difference to the tourist.

"Unfortunately, many hotels are past their life expiry date and need to invest in more in refurbishment and come up with new ideas," he said during an information seminar organised by the Malta Tourism Authority.

More boutique hotels were needed but not enough hoteliers were going down that road.

Hoteliers and restaurateurs should be encouraged to make a quality leap and spend more to improve the level of services and the product they offered, he said.

Referring to recent official tourism statistics, a cautious Dr de Marco said the situation seemed to be taking a turn for the better. In December, arrivals rose by 10 per cent and another four per cent in February. Also, in March, there was a 12.3 per cent increase in passenger movements.

Malta should make an effort to get on the list of multiple destination visits for tourists who visited Europe on long haul flights, he said.

MTA chief executive Josef Formosa Gauci said there had been a decline of seven per cent in arrivals from France and almost 12 per cent from Germany in January and February. This drop was of great concern, especially in light of the government's efforts in the two countries, he said. In fact, a working group has been set up between Air Malta and the MTA to analyse the drop in figures.

On a positive note, there was a huge increase of arrivals from Italy and Spain.

Mr Formosa Gauci also pointed out that tourists who were interested in activities and culture tended to go to Gozo instead of Malta. In 2009, 20 per cent of tourists went to Gozo for diving compared to four per cent who chose Malta while 75 per cent went to Gozo for historical sites, compared to 60 per cent who remained on the mainland.