Malta is nearing its tourist saturation point and should stop pushing for numbers but start looking at quality tourists, an expert has warned.

According to George Cassar, a senior lecturer at the University’s Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture, Malta will not be able to handle tourist arrivals exceeding the 1.7 million mark.

Currently, some 1.5 million visit the islands every year, with a concentration of 800,000 tourists flying in during the peak season between April and September.

Dr Cassar’s comments come after debate was recently re-ignited on whether Malta should be moving away from the mass market and embracing quality tourism.

Flying the flag for upmarket tourism was Corinthia chairman Alfred Pisani, who argued that mass tourism no longer made sense. He called for Malta to shed its “cheap destination” label which served to attract low-income clients.

On the other hand, Fortina Hotel and Spa director Michael Zammit Tabona has said he believes that, in changing Malta’s marketing policy in search of quality tourists, the country would risk losing its core markets.

Malta would never again be seen as an active competitor in the tourism industry and would slowly be forgotten, with tour operators and airlines pulling out due to a lower demand for Malta, he argues.

“Both are right and both are wrong,” Dr Cassar said.

“Our carrying capacity is what it is. We need to diversify and branch out into new markets – Malta’s cultural package is a very solid, well-rounded one in terms of our way of life and cultural attractions.

“Some 43 per cent of all tourists visiting Malta declare that they come for culture or ‘also for culture’. This means that, before stepping foot on our shores, they are already aware that they will be visiting cultural sites.”

Malta needed to focus on villages in the southern region such as Qrendi, Safi, Kirkop and Mqabba, which hardly received any tourists – barring those travelling to Ħaġar Qim.

Coastal towns such as St Paul’s Bay, which sees its population swell to 80,000 in summer, did not have the infrastructure to manage soaring numbers of tourists. Scarce resources such as water were also put under pressure by the seasonal spike in population, he said.

Focusing on cultural tourism did not mean eliminating the remaining “uncultured” tourists, Dr Cassar pointed out.

We tend to have this mentality that, because someone is a foreigner, this gives us the green light to rip them off

The key was exploring and bolstering other niche markets – underwater tourism and English language tourism were doing very well for instance.

A niche market of perhaps rather surprising potential is medical tourism.

“Since we offer good health services at competitive prices, ill people are coming to Malta for tests, treatment and a holiday. We should therefore not only look at numbers but at those who give us a good return.”

Quality tourists, he continued, had a specific purpose in travelling to Malta. The least lucrative of tourists were the so-called backpackers, who wandered about the island without staying at hotels or eating at restaurants.

“Knowing why your tourists are in Malta makes it easier to serve and satisfy them.”

Yet this was not possible without a radical change in perception among many Maltese working in the hospitality industry.

“We tend to have this mentality that, because someone is a foreigner, this gives us the green light to rip them off. I always tell my students that, when somebody had a good experience in a particular country, he will tell three people about it.

“Yet if that person has a bad experience, he will tell 10. Bad news travels fast. Don’t attempt to sell off a cheap wine with an expensive price tag to a wine connoisseur because it will ultimately backfire.”

This mentality can be prodded towards change through a number of actions. Dr Cassar believes that all waiters – including foreigners who hail from Eastern European countries – should have a good command of English as well as a good knowledge of Malta, therefore being able to give accurate directions and information. Waiters, hotel receptionists, tour operators and other frontline workers need to be given specific, certified courses.

The tour guide industry in particular was is need of a major facelift, Dr Cassar said.

“It is not enough to be a guide, mindlessly regurgitating information. We need interpreters – people who interact with the visitors, who instigate debate and treat the tourists as connoisseurs.

“My aim is to set up a higher national diploma in interpretation, which would be distinct to guiding.

“It’s not about simply trans­mitting information but about bringing it to life.”

Tourism in numbers

• Total tourist arrivals in 2014 exceeded 1.5 million, up 6.5 per cent over the previous year, official data show.

• Total nights spent grew by 3.3 per cent, reaching 8.8 million, while the net use of bed-places was 62.8 per cent, an increase of 3.2 per cent.

• In December, arrivals totalled 88,709 and total nights spent amounted to 430,209.

• All hotel categories, except the 4-star, recorded drops in total nights spent. The biggest share of guest nights was reported in 4-star accommodation: 222,983 nights, or 51.8 per cent of the total.

• The average length of stay was calculated at 4.8 nights, up from 4.7 in 2013.

• There were 143 collective accommodation establishments active last December with a net capacity of 15,838 bedrooms and 34,643 bed places. On average, each establishment had 2.2 beds per room.