Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis stated the obvious when he wrote in an article titled ‘The quest for quality’ that tourism zones called for improved environmental standards across the board. Equally obvious was his additional remark that it was not just a matter of improved cleanliness and better upkeep, but also the visual quality of certain tourism zones.
Glaring shortcomings in both have been haunting tourism in Malta ever since the island had its first tourism organisation, the Malta Government Tourist Board. The face of most of the tourist zones has changed dramatically since the late 1950s. Some areas have improved, but other parts of the island have seen horrendous development.
The biggest problem in Malta’s tourism has not been lack of financial resources or entrepreneurial flair but an inability to manage the upkeep of the island all year round. Progress has been made here and there, and some areas look great, but beyond these and the roundabouts, now well kept by a landscape consortium, most of the island looks dirty and unkempt.
Why has the problem defied solution? The simple answer is that no administration has kept up the willpower and energy to tackle it on an ongoing basis. It looks as if it is in people’s DNA not to care much for the environment, a matter that lies at the heart of the problem. But, knowing this, each and every administration ought to have made it a priority to promote a greater sense of pride in the country.
As the number of tourists keeps rising, the sense of urgency to ensure a better upkeep is often lost. Tourists taking tours on open-top buses must be amazed at some of the derelict places they see on their way to historical sites and other landmarks. Never mind the poor architectural designs or buildings left in shell form mentioned by the tourism minister. These are bad enough, but worse are knocked-down rubble walls, the rubbish that so often collects in open spaces, and the bricks, stones and sometimes even boulders that lie by the wayside. Meanwhile, numerous ugly billboards remain an unresolved problem.
In a tourism survey by PFK Malta, respondents aged 58 and over were not impressed by the state of beaches, roads and cities. Like its predecessor, this government too has in mind doing something about all this, and, not to be outdone, the tourism ministry has set up a committee to deal with the problem. It is called the Tourism Zones National Committee and is made up of representatives of government entities, local councils and the commercial sector.
The minister said that, since its appointment earlier this year, the committee, with the assistance of the ministry of transport and the infrastructure, concentrated on improving the level of cleanliness and general upkeep. Has anyone noticed? It may have worked hard, but the problem has become so big now that it will take time before any real drive to clean up the country starts having an impact.
As if the country does not have enough quangos already, the tourism minister is now thinking of turning the committee into yet another one, “with clear terms of reference and the allocation of adequate resources for it to be even more effective in its role”. More power to their elbow!
But when all efforts to bring about a drastic change in mentality have so far failed, only draconian measures are likely to work.