Estimates show that the rapidly growing film industry will yield a record €80 million in Malta by the end of this year, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said this evening.
In 2013, he said, the industry yielded €5 million and this increased to €29 million last year. This year, the amount invested so far already surpassed the €29 million mark and it was estimated that it would reach a "conservative" €80 million.
Dr Zammit Lewis was speaking to members of the public who attended the first Gvern li Jisma (Government that listens) meeting - the first of a series of public meetings held by ministers and parliamentary secretaries.
He explained that the moment three movies were being shot on the island and the industry was struggling to keep up, he said, adding that he wanted to turn the industry into one that employed people full-time.
He added that government would be issuing a request for proposals to come up with the best way to maximise the use of the Rinella film studios and a plan was expected by the beginning of next year.
The former Nationalist government that had little vision for the industry, he said referring to the court case that dragged on as the PN government struggled to be paid rent owed to it by the Mediterranean Film Studios - that had even filed a Mepa application to turn the film tanks into fish tanks in 2010.
Gozo was also benefiting from the growing film industry, he said adding: "In Gozo they call me Film Minister and not Tourism Minister since they are doing so well," he said.
Dr Zammit Lewis thanked his predecessor as minister responsible for the film industry, Manuel Mallia, for his contribution.
Speaking about tourism in Gozo, he said, unfortunately it did not have enough full-time tourism students despite the state-of-the-art facility ready to host them. Gozo Minister Anton Refalo, who was present, agreed that this was a pity. For the first time the Gozo secondary schools would be introducing the subject of hospitality for students as he wanted to shatter the perception that ITS students were dropouts, he said.
Dr Zammit Lewis outlined the work carried out by his ministry over the past months. His team worked on a new tourism policy, on increasing routes to Malta and on strengthening the cruise liner industry in Gozo. Estimates showed that this year Malta would receive a record of 6,400 cruise liner passengers, he said.