A Labour government would embark on efforts to internationalise the Institute for Tourism Studies, opening it further to foreign students, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday.

Speaking during a visit to the institute in St Julian’s as part of the electoral campaign, Dr Muscat said the ITS had a limited capacity and could not accept all the requests from foreign students wanting to follow a course there. He said there was a huge potential to attract foreign students.

Dr Muscat met students and teachers while touring the lecture rooms and kitchens where students were busy putting into practice what they learnt in theory.

Following the tour, during which he was accompanied by Small Businesses Minister Jason Azzopardi, Dr Muscat spoke about the need for more investment at the institute, which was serving such an important pillar of the Maltese economy.

Dr Azzopardi said the ITS was offering courses to 700 full-time students and 500 part-timers. He said he was pleased to note that 94 per cent of students who finished courses found employment in the tourism sector.

He said the Government was committed to spending €215 million on tourism over the next five years.