Six years ago, the government pledged to restructure the Malta Tourism Authority. In reality, it had set its sight on changing the very basics of how our tourism industry, which was suffering, operated. Despite the lapse of four years, we had not yet managed to shake off the negative effects of the September 11 attacks. The stakeholders, particularly the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, asked the government to rethink its tourism strategy.

A working group was set up, with experts from both the government side and the private sector, tasked with drawing up a restructuring plan for the MTA. At the same time, the government, again in collaboration with the private sector, drew up a national tourism policy and plan that laid out the tasks needed to be taken to return the tourism industry to growth. This plan focused on the need to improve accessibility to Malta, increase the effectiveness of our marketing strategies and improve the tourism product.

Fast forward to 2011. During the Routes Conference in Berlin this week, the most important annual event for airlines, the MTA was voted by the airlines as being the best tourism authority in the world for route development. This prestigious award recognises our efforts to increase airline business to Malta.

In 2009 and 2010, the MTA was voted as the authority that was making the best use of leading internet travel sites.

On the product front, the government and the MTA worked to make Malta a vibrant happening place. From Notte Bianca to the Isle of MTV, from the Jazz Festival to the Malta Arts Festival, Malta is offering a unique array of events that meets the expectations of the young and the young at heart.

Product investment over the past years has ranged from the enhancement of the visitor experience in our megalithic temples to the restoration of kilometres of fortifications; from the upgrading of our promenades to a proper management of our beaches. We are bringing out the best of our old cities: Valletta, Mdina, Vittoriosa and the Ċittadella. Our waters are today the cleanest in the Mediterranean as a result of substantial investment in the sewage treatment infrastructure. Gozo was this year awarded the Quality Coast Award.

On the three fronts – accessibility, marketing and product development – Malta has undoubtedly come a long way.

It is not by coincidence, therefore, that three out of the last four years were record years for our tourism industry. The results for the first eight months of this year are showing an increase of 66,000 tourists over the same period of last year, itself the record year. Our industry is becoming less seasonal. We receive more than 100,000 tourists per month in seven months of the year. Tourism has become a €1 billion plus industry for us.

The actions we have taken have made us more responsive to the changing scenarios enabling us to react quickly and take up opportunities fast when they arrive. We chase new business, cultivating new markets without neglecting established partners that helped our industry grow over the years.

What the industry managed to achieve is good, perhaps even better than good. However, our past achievements are of relatively little importance. We know that our sight has to be firmly fixed on the next years with the inevitable challenges they bring, ranging from recession in our core markets to a frail airline industry. We have now embarked on drawing up the national policy for the next five years.

I am in Poland, participating in the European Tourism Forum, the European Union’s gathering for tourism ministers. During this forum, together with my counterparts from across the continent, we are reviewing the European Tourism Policy and the action plan approved in Malta last year.

Europe is the world’s premier tourism destination. If we are to remain so we need to remain competitive, focus on our strengths, most notably our diverse product offering. We need to make best use of new technologies to project what Europe is all about. We need to understand the needs of the traveller, particularly the traveller from the so-called BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. These countries have the potential to swell the tourist flow into Europe. This, however, will only happen if the populations in these countries are aware of our offering and if our offering meets their expectations.

Malta plays a very active part in the discussions on tourism policy at the EU. We do so because for us, more than any other country within the EU, tourism is a strong economic driver. The discussions happening at EU level will filter down into our new tourism policy. After all, the aim of the European policy and the aim of our own policy are one and the same: ensuring a competitive tourism industry that can deliver sustainable economic growth.

Dr de Marco is Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, the Environment and Culture