Ministers highlight successes of tourism industry

The successes of the tourism industry were highlighted this afternoon during a visit to Malta International Airport by Tourism Minister Mario de Marco and Finance Minister Tonio Fenech.

Dr de Marco mentioned the records achieved by the industry over the past year, including by MIA which he described as a valuable stakeholder in the industry.

A record in passenger movements at the airport was achieved last year and a growth of at least 1.5 per cent was forecast for this year.

The minister said that the number of scheduled direct flights increased to 81 last year from 46 in 2006. A number of new routes were already announced for this year and included Bergamot, Modena and the East Midlands.

Record passenger movements at the airport reflected the performance of the tourism industry in Malta.

Records were also achieved by the cruise industry, with the highest number of visits to Malta being made. The country was also being used as a hub with cruises starting and ending here, leading to more people flying to Malta.

He noted that the collaboration between MIA and the Malta Tourism Authority was excellent and while other countries were slashing their tourism budget, MTA’s had been increased from €25 million in 2008 to €37 million last year.

Mr Fenech also spoke about the importance of the airport, which had continued to invest in the economy, through the development of Skyparks, for example. MIA also offered support to growing aviation industry.

He said that last year, Air Malta operated 7,100 return flights carrying 1.6 million passengers.

He said he expected a financial improvement in the airline’s third quarter results.