People travel for a variety of reasons: to escape, explore, understand and participate. But at the core of the experience lies the destination. Malta remains a sought-after destination, a destination that offers memorable experiences of a diverse nature.

It must be said, though, that these memorable experiences don’t just happen: they are to a very large degree shaped by the experience offered through our hotels, our restaurateurs, tour guides and the infrastructure, including roads, transport and beaches, among other things.

Our coastline offers a reasonable selection of pristine and beautiful beaches. On its own, this is not enough. The safety of the beachgoer and the cleanliness of the beach, combined with the friendliness of the people visitors meet on the beach, make up the totality of the experience. Our country abounds with some nice scenery, but at the end of the day, it’s the people, the service and the facilities that can make the difference.

We have hundreds of restaurants offering every kind of cuisine in our country, but it is not just about having the restaurants: it’s about having the best restaurants that offer quality food, served professionally with a welcoming touch. You can get a steak anywhere in the world, but word must get around that here you get a fine steak that not even Argentina can match.

Indeed the tourist experience is determined by what all of us do. The Malta Tourism Authority markets our country as a whole; the industry markets its individual products. The successful marketing of our diverse offerings – our vibrant villages, our beaches, our world heritage sites, our Mediterranean culture and so much more – translates into the successful marketing of our country. But what we market has to be backed up. The experience is largely what we offer. This must be a continuously improving experience.

Warmth, friendliness, service excellence, good facilities and ambience all matter.

I refer to an article published in this newspaper telling the story of Hans Jocham, described as “not your average tourist” for taking the initiative and care to clean up our beaches. Without beating around the bush, we Maltese have still not managed to understand the importance of respecting and keeping our environment clean.

We have not yet understood that if we clean and keep our environment well maintained, the return on investment will be exponentially higher

We have not yet managed to understand that a clean and a well-maintained environment enhances the experience of tourists visiting our islands, while it improves the quality of life for all of us who live here.

This problem is unfortunately not only confined to some number of citizens, but it is also feltat higher levels, including with the authorities.

I recognise that over the years a lot has been done to improve the infrastructure and cleanliness in our country, but I must emphasise that this effort is not consistent and apparently not well managed. The reason that I am saying this is of course the result.

Look around you with a critical eye, and the immediate reaction will be that in terms of cleanliness and well-maintained infrastructure, much is left to be desired if we really want to refer to ourselves as a centre of excellence in the Mediterranean.

So what has gone wrong, and what needs to done?

What has gone wrong is that we apparently have not yet understood that if we clean and keep our environment well maintained, the return on investment will be exponentially higher, creating a social and economic positive impact.

There is no better time than now, as our economy is registering unprecedented growth, to take the bull by the horns.

The solution includes more investment in education, better enforcement and improved management of increased budgets on cleaning and maintenance.

At the core, I believe it is a question of culture, which ultimately boils down to the value of respect.

Thank you, Mr Jocham, for your love and respect for our country. Thank you also to the many others who similarly do their part to make Malta a better place for all. May your example be followed by thousands of others – for their sake and the sake of our environment.

Tony Zahra is president of the Malta Hotels & Restaurants Association.