Renewed commitments to save Air Malta and the announcement of plans by International Hotels Investments to take over Island Hotels Group come only days after the government launched a draft national tourism policy.
The survival of Air Malta is vital for Malta’s tourism and the economy, and IHI’s plans constitute a significant development in the island’s hospitality industry. Considering the experience the country has amassed in tourism since the late 1950s, there is hardly an aspect of the industry that has not been discussed before.
Even so, although the draft of the national tourism policy may not propose any radical shift in direction, it is useful in that, like other studies published over the years, it helps to sharpen the country’s focus on a segment of the economy that keeps playing a significant role in the economy. With tourism accounting for 29 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis is right in deciding to enhance even further the existing tourism policy.
More than 1.6 million tourists are visiting the island every year. However, as to whether or not the country will continue to do so well in tourism depends on a number of factors, some of which are beyond the island’s control. Political turmoil in countries relatively close to Malta, such as Libya, or any terrorist act in the Mediterranean, could easily have serious ripple effects on tourism.
Maltese firms are already feeling the impact of the trouble in Libya on their businesses. Hopefully, the two rival factions vying for control will see reason and resolve their differences peacefully.
If such external matters are not within the island’s control, many other factors are. It is all very well to see how the island can tap new markets, to reduce seasonality and, in the words of the tourism minister, “to protect and promote what is truly indigenous to the Maltese islands by showcasing the special distinctive features and characteristics of the destination rather than depending on mimicking what is available in competing destinations”.
However, besides ensuring that Air Malta becomes financially viable by next year, there are other equally important matters that would need to be kept under constant consideration, such as competitiveness.
If Malta will eventually have to go for the higher net worth tourists, and this newspaper believes the country does need to take this route as there is a limit to the number it can take, it would need to start thinking of making a more determined effort to look after the environment and to upgrade facilities and services.
Cleanliness and regular maintenance of public places are matters that ought to be given priority. There has been improvement in this regard here and there, but the country still has a long way to go before it reaches an acceptable standard.
Cleaning up the precious little countryside that is left and ensuring that it is not taken over for unchecked development is another challenge. An island turned into a concrete jungle can hardly be an attraction and sadly the future looks bleak in this area.
The few remaining green lungs have to be preserved at all costs. And there has to be no more encroachment on the coastline. The country does not need to mimic other destinations.
Ultimately, the private sector needs to make sure we remain competitive as a tourist destination.
We are increasingly out-pricing ourselves in the provision of basic products and services, a short-sighted measure which is only serving to give Malta the tag of an expensive destination.