The past year had been a record breaker for tourism, making it “the best year in history” Tourism Minister Mario de Marco announced yesterday as he toured preparations for last night’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.

An orchestra where everyone has a role

Speaking in the lobby of the 1930’s foyer of the Phoenicia Hotel in Valletta, Dr de Marco said records were broken across the board, from arrivals and bed nights to expenditure.

As the classic song Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt played in the background, Malta Hotels and Restaurant Association president Tony Zahra exclaimed: “What a wonderful year it has been,” and said the outlook for the tourism sector was rosy for the coming year.

In a light-hearted moment, Mr Zahra got hold of two balloons, one red and one blue, which were to be used at the hotel’s party in the evening, and approached Dr de Marco in an apparent jibe at the looming general election. The minister laughed it off and told the press: “You see whom I have to work with, don’t you!”

Mr Zahra said the good year for tourism had not happened by chance but because of the hard work and dedication of so many people.

Dr de Marco said that when it came to the tourism industry, “this is an orchestra where everyone has a role”.

December indicators were healthy too and the number of tourists visiting Malta stood at 1.4 million this year. There was also an increase in the number of nights – which totalled 12 million – and overall expenditure by tourists stood at €1.3 billion.

Earlier, reporters were shown around the hotel’s kitchens, where executive chef Saul Hadeni gave a guarded but tantalising glimpse into what customers of the hotel were to be served last night.

He got as far as the starter, which was described as a panettone sandwich with foie gras, adding that everything else was a secret.

Along the tour, Dr de Marco was also introduced to kitchen staff including junior sous chef Victor Zarb, who described the long working hours on holidays. He said that he would be working today as well, prompting the hotel’sgeneral manager Charles Azzopardi to remark how Mr Zarb would be with his “family”.

Dr de Marco was also shown around Castille Hotel from where he saw the breathtaking view of the island from the roof-top restaurant, extending from Smart City in Kalkara to Naxxar.

Number of tourists visiting Malta just keeps going up

The number of tourists who arrived in Malta in November, increased by more than four per cent compared with the same month last year.

According to the National Statistics Office, Tourstat data for November showed an increase of 4.6 per cent in the total number of tourists when compared with November 2011.

But excluding the 2,163 passengers who stayed aboard their cruise ship overnight, the increase amounted to two per cent.

The NSO said the total number of tourists who visited Malta during November stood at 87,654, and excluding people that stayed overnight on a ship, 85,491 were departing tourists. Estimates show the majority – 68,236 – visited Malta for a holiday, while 11,801 were business trips. First-time visitors rose by four per cent over 2011.

Inbound tourism from the EU increased by three per cent, making up 85 per cent of tourists.

Total nights spent by tourists during the month went up by three per cent to 685,520, while total expenditure of departing tourists was estimated at €70.8 million – a rise of eight per cent over last year. The total number of tourists who visited Malta during the first 11 months of this year is estimated at 1,384,763. Of these, 1,382,600 were tourists, an increase of two per cent over the same period in 2011.

Total spending by tourists was estimated at €1.3 billion – up by eight per cent.

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