Malta's opening up to Chinese tourism was a step in the right direction and in line with the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association strategy, the association said today.

In a statement, the association welcomed yesterday’s announcement by the Prime Minister that 10,000 Chinese visitors will come to Malta by 2018 and 50,000 by 2020, following the signing of agreements with the Bank of China and China International Travel Services.

MHRA president Tony Zahra said this was in line with the strategy recommended by the association that Malta should focus on developing new source markets and enhancing source markets' quality.

This, he said, was the ideal time to do so especially because of the weak Sterling, which could adversely impact arrivals from the UK.

Over the past years, the association lobbied the government to address and invest in India and China as these had been critical for growth internationally.

“Attracting Chinese tourists is a step in the right direction,” he said adding that Malta should also prepare for this new market as the requirements of Chinese tourists were different to European ones.