[attach id=249157 size="medium"]Jeannette Borg, a local pioneer in the eco-tourism sector. Photo: Therese Debono[/attach]
The “hype” around the hunting season is damaging ecological tourism to Malta, according to a local pioneer in the sector.
Eco-tourism – which encourages the economical growth of local communities and environmental sustainability – is still in its infancy in Malta, but according to the only licensed company, Merill Ltd, the publicity surrounding the hunting season deters people from visiting Malta.
“It’s not the hunting as such that damages eco-tourism, because when it’s the hunting season you simply avoid certain places,” said Merill director Jeannette Borg.
Although she is not in favour of hunting, she knows from experience that hunters and people working in rural environments have a sense of mutual respect.
“I don’t agree with hunting, but I believe that to work with the local people you have to work with hunters and respect their boundaries,” she said.
Unfortunately, she said, Malta’s hunting is mentioned way too often, and is not put in the context that other EU countries have some type of hunting activities.
Every time hunting is mentioned, we make a sensational issue out of it and this damages the tourism industry
“Every time hunting is mentioned, we make a sensational issue out of it and this damages the tourism industry,” said Ms Borg. She constantly meets prospective clients who tell her that they do not consider Malta in their travel plans because “there’s lots of hunting”.
“I always argue back that though there is need of strict law enforcement but from our end, we always found respect from the hunters,” she said.
Eco-tourism is a combination of environment conservation, improves the well-being of local communities and sustainable travel and it is not “just about walks”.
“If we just stop at sightseeing, our local communities would not benefit at all. Even worse, if we conduct walking tours without directly involving the rural community, we would be disrupting rather than helping these areas,” she said.
The ecological tourist, therefore would visit farms, meet artisans and would stop for food or wine tasting as well as have hands-on experiences.
The concept was still in its infancy, she explained and authorities still seem to have to get round to this travel concept.
Ms Borg highlighted the need of a change in mentality in people working in the tourism industry. “Every day I meet people who work in the tourism industry with preconceptions and misconceptions about our rural areas,” she said.
Sometimes, she comes across people in the industry reluctant to promote local farms “because they are dirty”. This upsets her since little do they know about the obligations that farmers have to take to abide by EU regulations.
Ms Borg would also like to see more respect for the Maltese farmers. “They are our environmental stewards – they are the real protectors of our few remaining green areas.”
Notwithstanding, she is very positive about the future for eco-tourism: “We’ve been promoting the sun and sea for the past 30 years, so I do not expect a quick change in mentality, but we’ll get there.”