Malta setting new tourism records, without slashing prices

Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said today that Malta had managed this year to surpass the tourism records established in 2008 by improving accessibility and its tourism product, rather than by slashing its prices.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day meeting of the European Tourism Forum, Dr De Marco underlined the importance that Malta is giving to the sustainability of the tourism industry and the tourism product.

This, he observed, was also the running theme in the proposed European Action Framework for Tourism, which Malta backed as a way to keep Europe a leading destination for tourism.

The two-day forum, meeting at the Radisson Golden Sands Hotels, has grouped political and private industry leaders in the tourism sector to discuss the current situation and common action which could be taken for the future.

Dr de Marco observed that the international financial and economic crisis was not over, but European figures showed that the tourism industry was starting to recover.

Malta, he told the delegates, had seen its tourism suffer, particularly last year, but the rebound had been a strong one. Not only were arrivals by the end of September 12.6% higher than they were at that time last year, but they were also 1% higher on the record of 2008.

Central to this success, he said. was a 33% increase in accessibility through air services, targeted tourism promotion, better use of the new media, and an improved product, with Malta making careful use of EU structural funds made available to it.

It was incumbent of all tourism operators, wherever they were, to offer the right product at a competitive price, Dr de Marco said.