Competitiveness in tourism is strengthened through human resources whose abilities were continuously renewed according to market needs, Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said this morning.

Address a lecture as part of the training programme Advance, organised by the Malta Tourism Authority, and co-financed by the European Social Fund, Dr de Marco said that in the past years Malta experienced changes in the tourism sector, with a growth in markets other than the British.

The expansion was due to an increase in routes serving the country, which today enjoyed flights to and from 76 destinations.

Advances in information technology and communications always changed the way tourists reserved their services with 55 per cent of tourists who came to Malta booking their services individually and directly.

Advance is an investment of more than €3 million in innovation, good administration and product improvement.

Through the programme, 1,380 managers and supervisors working in different tourism sectors would obtain certification within two years. 200 of them will be spending a week with a foreign company in the UK, Scotland, Ireland or France.