A draft tourism policy for the next five years, focusing heavily on giving tourists 'an authentic Maltese product', was launched today by Tourism Minister Mario de Marco.

He told a press conference that the plan consolidates the achievements of the tourism industry and aims for growth.

But he stressed that growth could not come at any price.

The growth of the tourist industry, he stressed, should not come at an environmental cost.

The industry, he said , needed to be developed in a way which yielded more value added.

The focus, therefore, was on authenticity in anything from Maltese food to hotels, with the government keen to encourage the transformation of old, disused palaces into boutique hotels.

He said the government and the MTA were also keen on better promoting Malta's rich all-year cultural calendar and they wanted to extend Malta's attractions to include the charms hidden away in village cores.

The tourism industry was changing, Dr de Marco said, and and this change was being kept in mind in the new plan. For example, there was now a greater focus on internet promotion and on attracting tourists who wished to travel independently. Malta was also seeking to forge new source markets, eyeing, in particular, Poland, Brazil and China.

Valletta was being increasingly promoted for its attractiveness as a city break.

Dr de Marco noted how since the last tourism plan, tourist arrivals had risen from  1.2 million in 2006 to 1.4 million last year. There had been increases in tourist spending and bednights.

Tourism had also branched out into several sectors, which now needed to be consolidated and improved.

For example, the language studies sector needed to be expanded to attract more mature and corporate clients in order to ensure all-year business. 

Tourism, Dr de Marco said, should be the opportunity to showcase Malta. The tourism industry should itself be a tool to promote and preserve Malta's living history, old trades, traditions and customs, which should then be an essential component of the authentic Maltese product. 

He said the plan continued to give importance to the diving industry but also gave importance to sports tourism, with local facilities seen as ideal for winter training by overseas athletes.

Gozo could lend itself to eco-tourism and it would be beneficial if the two high-standard opera productions were marketed as a single opera season, Dr de Marco said.

The tourism plan is open for four weeks of public consultation. It can be viewed at  www.tourism.gov.mt