An independent expert has been commissioned by the government to analyse the 2014 tourism statistics and draw up a report, which will be launched for public consultation within weeks, according to Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis.
Speaking during a meeting with the Malta Hoteliers and Restaurants Association, Dr Zammit Lewis said the expert was looking at the statistics to see “where we can improve” and “see where we need to move ahead”.
The report would also help the government to work on a plan of prediction and take active measures to strengthen what was needed.
Dr Zammit Lewis refuted claims that the tourism sector had reached saturation point, saying “we have more to add and where to increase our capacity”.
He referred to the hoteliers association a “vital partner” for the government in the tourism industry and described their relationship as a “private-public partnership par excellence”.
The drafting of the national tourism policy and its vision were well within the deadlines and Dr Zammit Lewis pointed out that it was something the association had been long calling for. “At the end of the month we will issue the policy and start working on its implementation”.
Later this year, there will be a three-year business plan to start implementing the policy.
George Cassar, a senior lecturer at the University’s Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture was reported saying earlier today that Malta was nearing its tourist saturation point and should stop pushing for numbers but start looking at quality tourists.
He said that Malta would not be able to handle tourist arrivals exceeding the 1.7 million mark.
Last year, some 1.7 million visited Malta, with a concentration of 800,000 tourists flying in during the peak season between April and September.
Dr Cassar’s comments come after a recent debat 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 said he believed 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 argued.
“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, he said, 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 putting under pressure by the seasonal spike in population, he said.
The key was exploring and bolstering other niche markets – underwater tourism and English language tourism were doing very well for instance.