There is no doubt that Malta and Gozo are islands of unparalleled beauty. Each year, over a million and a half visitors from around the world, or four times our population, discover a treasure trove of natural and man-made wonders.

They marvel at sights such as the hypogeum, the magnificent capital, Valletta, and the majestic Mdina, the scenic three cities and the spectacular Mediterranean coastline and countryside.

Having celebrated successive years of record arrivals, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association believes it is now time to set a new vision for an updated tourism strategy that will take the industry to the next level.

As one of the greatest places in the world to live, work and invest in, we believe that Malta is also one of the best places on the planet to travel to. On the other hand, it is common knowledge that the island’s external infrastructure, such as the road network, public transport services, the maintenance and cleanliness levels of the surrounding environment, to mention a few, are all in dire need of a major revamp if we want to aim high and retain our competitive edge in the wake of new challenges that are continuously being presented by changes in the political and socio–economic situations around the globe.

We need to improve our standards of accommodation, catering and services from all aspects.

We need to look into the detail, starting from the experience of arrival and departure at our air and sea terminals, the taxi and public transport network, police and warden services, retail and related trade and, last but not least, that offered through our myriad accommodation provisions and restaurants.

The future is bound to bring more changes, mostly unpredictable, and, hence, the greater need of putting our heads together and plan strategically. To simply remain attached to a strategy primarily focused on numbers, just because it has worked till now, and persist to retain our status quo for the long term is really and truly suicidal.

We do not call on the government to change for the sake of change but what we are emphasising is that the tourism industry is very dynamic and, to keep up to speed, we need to start thinking in terms of development of exceptional tourism experiences and how to create the best tourism workforce in the world.

In short, we hope this new vision will assist the many men and women who depend on tourism to build a better, more competitive industry in Malta.

The vision and related strategy must be crafted around the principle that we all depend, in more ways than one, on the tourism product while fully appreciating that this very product depends entirely upon all of us.

The hospitality sector belongs to all of us, not only to those who work and earn their living directly from it but to all the Maltese. After all, whatever we do for ‘our guests’ and what they experience during their short stay among us is what we experience 365 days of the year. In this respect, we also call on all ministers to ensure that they take active interest and provide support from within their respective portfolios as, in more ways than one, there is an intricate and unbreakable link with the hospitality sector.

To remain attached to a strategy primarily focused on numbers is reallyand truly suicidal

We firmly believe the time is right to launch this new approach because, primarily, apart from the growth that our industry has experienced over the past years in Malta, over the last two decades international tourism arrivals have been growing consistently at an average of four per cent per year and this is set to continue in the foreseeable future.

In the past, international tourism was seen as the purview of a relatively limited set of affluent travellers. Nowadays, however, the number of those who travel overseas is growing rapidly and many are originating from the expanding middle classes in Europe and, in particular, of large emerging economies.

The economies of China, Russia, Brazil and India are indeed generating large increases in the number of tourists globally and the forecasts indicate that these will continue dominating the tourism agenda of the future.

Secondly, the most affluent tourists have had enough of the traditional destinations. This partly explains why tourism is growing in countries such as India, China, Turkey and Thailand, each of which had a much smaller tourism sector several decades ago. These exotic destinations are offering travellers newly-accessible and unique experiences, something which this little diamond of an island, set strategically in the middle of the Mediterranean, can offer, but needs to pursue much more aggressively.

In this light, the new vision needs to reflect the MHRA’s efforts to emphasise the Mediterranean as a destination that brings together a colourful spectrum of experiences for the traveller while, at the same time, positioning Malta as a key component in this strategy.

Thirdly, technology has shifted marketplace power to the buyer. Travellers are increasingly resorting to the internet and social media platforms to learn about new attractions around the world and to discover the most cost-effective way to reach these destinations.

As tourism demand continues to grow and evolve, there will be even more intense competition for tourism euros among destinations.

Consumer expectations in terms of value for money are continuously rising and, concurrently, travellers are seeking novel experiences that satisfy their inquisitiveness and sense of adventure.

There is also a growing interest in sustainable tourism, which takes the environmental and cultural impact of travel into account. And it is here that we believe that Malta is now at the crossroads having to decide between offering more of the same or build on the fact that we are small and, accordingly, aim high. In our case, small is big.

We are conscious that this is not easy to achieve but, as they say, all voyages start with a first step and here we need to have a new long-term vision taking us up to year 2030 and beyond.

The first step that needs to be taken is to bring all stakeholders, including the Opposition and other parties, around one table to discuss the future and, accordingly, set a vision for change.

In particular, our politicians need to be visionary people and we are pleased that the minister for tourism has taken on board our suggestion to kick off a consultation process among key stakeholders and start talking about how we can turn around our industry from an unpolished diamond to a polished one, packaged appropriately to attract the attention of the most affluent and discerning travellers in the world.

This is indeed a first step in this new journey for Malta.

Paul Bugeja is president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.