In Parliament, the other day, I reiterated my call for a capacity study given our size and infrastructure. I rebutted absurd claims that I was, in any way, suggesting a cap on the number of tourists that visit the islands.
When I called for a capacity study, I was not reinventing the wheel. A capacity study was carried out in 2000 and proved to be very useful in devising an adequate strategy at the time.
The 2000 study had found that the islands’ infrastructure at the time could not accommodate any more tourists. The result was not a cap on the number of tourists visiting the islands; that would have been a disaster for our tourism industry and the Maltese economy. Instead, the government invested heavily in infrastructure and tourism boomed.
This is what I had in mind when I called for another capacity study. Fifteen years have passed since then and the time is ripe to go back to the drawing board, take a stock analysis of the situation and chart the way forward.
Resilience has always been the hallmark of the Maltese tourism industry but that alone is not enough
Since my appointment as the new Opposition spokesman for tourism, I have urged the government to make sure that Malta remains competitive in this sector. The stakes are high and the political climate in the Mediterranean region complicates matters. However, we have proved, time and again, to be resilient.
Resilience has always been the hallmark of the Maltese tourism industry but that alone is not enough.
In order for us to remain competitive, we need to make sure that our product remains competitive. We need to compare our product with that of our competitors and, while proud of our authenticity, we must ensure that it does not lack the quality found in other countries.
Education is of the essence if we want to remain competitive in this field. Educating the service providers on a regular basis is of utmost importance. Unfortunately, there exist service providers who are penny wise and pound foolish; they think that investing in their human resources is a waste of time and money. Of course, they are wrong. The proverbial service with a smile is crucial if we want to remain competitive. This does not exclude the general public and here schools and our media plays an important role.
We also need to diversify our services through year-round activities. Malta is a beautiful country with a rich cultural heritage and a modern infrastructure. Therefore, the need for Malta to promote itself as a year-round destination.
A leading stakeholder suggested to me a calendar of events, highlighting year-round activities that can be enjoyed by visitors to Malta, should be offered to the tour operators at least 18 months in advance. This will allow enough time to the operators to incorporate such activities in their programmes.
I believe that this is a very sensible suggestion which the government would do well to take on board.
Unfortunately, the tourism minister is not keen in filling up the existing vacancies of Malta’s representations in the prime markets. This makes it difficult for the Malta Tourism Authority to keep track on what is going on in these markets.
The Opposition is pleased to see that the same administration that closed the MTA and Air Malta’s offices in the USA is now focusing again on this long-haul market. However, the tourism minister needs to explain why no call for applications was made for the appointment of an MTA representative in the USA.
The person chosen for this post is very close to the Prime Minister’s spouse and her qualifications and credentials for the post are highly questionable. Besides being a business partner of the Prime Minister’s wife, what kind of experience, credentials and qualifications does the MTA representative in the US have?
I’m informed that that the MTA’s representative in the US has lately taken to experimenting in marketing the destination and participating in trade shows that, however, do not give the best exposure to our islands.
I have it from reliable sources that, last September, the representative brought to Malta a small group of tour operators on an inspection trip and she made them fly Turkish Airlines.
The government needs to come clean on this appointment and what is its strategy vis-a vis this market. What, for instance, is the current marketing and advertising budget allocated for the US market? What are the plans for the future?
Connection to and from Malta is the key. While ensuring the interests of our national carrier remain of utmost importance, on the other hand we do need to acknowledge that it is thanks to the low-cost carriers that thousands of visitors are coming to Malta all year round. The money they are saving on the flights is being spent on the islands.
As the Opposition spokesman for tourism, I shall strive to give my genuine commitment to this sector. On a daily basis I am meeting the leading stakeholders in the field. They share with me their success stories, their aspirations, challenges and ideas on how to take tourism forward.
We definitely need to invest heavily in this sector but we must also ensure that this is done in a professional manner with all hands on deck.
Antoine Borg is the Opposition spokesman for tourism.