The shadow minister for tourism, Robert Arrigo, said this evening that rather than uniformed tourism policeit would be better to have plain clothes hospitality wardens.

Speaking in Parliament, Mr Arrigo said that having uniformed staff in tourist areas was not conducive to better management. He suggested non-uniformed Hospitality Wardens trained in hospitality handling and customer care with an apposite course by ITS. This would be less confrontational and could meet the needs of the various areas better.

Mr Arrigo also suggested that the Institute for Tourism Studies should hold courses for foreign workers living and working in Malta so that basic communication and knowledge of the industry was ensured.

Such people had a strong presence in the tourism sector. They worked for less pay than the Maltese and were more flexible, making them more attractive in the eyes of the tourism entrepreneurs.

He warned on the need for flexibility since at the moment, with the North African tourism market in disarray, Malta was going through an Indian Summer.

Turning to airline routes, Mr Arrigo said that one had to be careful not to undermine Air Malta's position on routes and destinations. He said Air Malta has to be kept Maltese, questioning if the government had truly considered selling part of the company as had been reported in the press.

Mr Arrigo said that there were also rumours of financial troubles for the MTA with monies owed in marketing campaigns and to Joseph Calleja. He said that in the light of these troubles, one questioned the wisdom of opening an office in the US when this would cost around€400,000 per annum.

Earlier, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said the tourism police would be appointed next year. This summer, priority would be given to a thorough clean-up of tourism zones.

Dr Zammit Lewis said that the MTA was working on strict marketing segmentation, particularly for Gozo, so that the island could maximise its potential.

With regard to human resources, the MTA was was ensuring that its staff could effectively support expansion and diversification of the tourism product to counter the problem of seasonality.

Law enforcement on illegal operations was focussing on updating the MTA's database to be more effective in this area. 

Dr Zammit Lewis said his vision for the ministry was to enhance the appreciation of the heritage of the country and showcase the hospitality so characteristic of our people. 

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