Tourism policy will build on the “many good plans” already in place with no sudden changes in direction, Tourism Minister Karmenu Vella said yesterday.

He told stakeholders that there was no need for the Government to “reinvent the wheel” in the sector and assured them that their advice would be taken on board.

“We want the Government to act as a facilitator – those of you who have invested millions in this sector, and they are all Maltese, are unlikely to give bad advice,” he told members of the Malta Hotel and Restaurant Association (MHRA) council.

“And once we find the solutions, then there will be a concerted push to begin implementing them.”

Successful tourism was more about accessibility than marketing nowadays, the minister argued, and healthy tourist arrival numbers meant the Government could afford to place greater emphasis on improving Malta as a tourism destination.

MHRA president Tony Zahra highlighted three key issues that needed addressing: increasing arrivals during shoulder months between peak and off-peak seasons; lowering utility rates; and reverting to the pre-2010 five per cent VAT rate paid by the sector. The current rate is seven per cent.

Unless these issues were addressed, hotel and restaurant owners would continue to face sustainability problems, Mr Zahra said.

“We know the Government is committed to reducing utility rates, and some progress has been registered in upping arrivals in shoulder and winter months. But more can be done. There are good things to build on and other things which can definitely be improved,” he told the minister.

Having acknowledged these concerns, Mr Vella also said the Government wanted to change the popular perception of jobs within tourism being a last resort.

“These jobs can be a career choice too,” he said.

Although tourism figures were generally encouraging, figures alone did not translate into success, the minister said.

“The sector needs to be financially sustainable, because profits result in further investment, a better tourist product and more jobs within the sector,” he argued.