Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association president Kevin DeCesare believes the Malta Tourism Authority should be allocated a further €2 million to embark on a stronger marketing campaign in view of the winter season ahead, with some forecasts predicting that last year's growth would be hard to surpass. He also called for additional flight routes to be introduced.
"If the MTA were to receive a further €2 million, then I believe winter could be saved and we could witness a possible increase also. We should carry out an intensive marketing campaign on all our core markets but especially in the UK as it has historically always been easier to attract British tourists to visit Malta. The British tend to give their holidays more priority than their European counterparts," he told The Times Business soon after the MHRA second quarter results for this year were published.
The MTA currently has a budget of €24,458,000 per annum.
Mr DeCesare also called for a number of flight routes to be opened up namely Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Milan and Charleroi (south of Brussels).
He added: "We would need to spend a further €2 million if all these routes would be opened."
Mr DeCesare lambasted the state of the country's cleanliness calling it "a disgrace" and stressed that Malta's product needed to be improved.
"You see filth everywhere and we cannot seem to get a handle on it. Everyone knows that this is a huge problem, so it is really surprising that nothing is done about it. We have managed to tackle the roundabouts by using the public-private partnership scheme but we cannot seem to extend it to anything else.
"The total lack of enforcement is turning our country into a real mess.
"People drinking in the street are still evident despite the new laws which prohibit it. We need to have on-the-spot fines for people littering. We need to tackle noise pollution," he said.
He added: "If the MTA had executive powers in tourist areas, then we might see an improvement but the MTA would then have to have its own structures beefed up to handle this. These are things we have discussed ad nauseum but nothing ever happens. In reality, without enforcement, nothing will ever change."
Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Mario de Marco said he would naturally welcome any additional funds for the MTA, not only for marketing but also for product development. However, he said, one had to be realistic about the situation.
"I don't think it is only additional marketing which will make a difference in the figures for next winter.
"There are two main challenges facing the tourism industry namely the economic situation in countries like Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain - all important markets for Malta - as well as the global fuel crisis," he said.
Dr de Marco said a person facing a difficult economic situation would probably not decide to go on holiday as a result of additional adverts. "It is important not to out price ourselves and we need to offer good value for money and at the same time market more effectively," he said.
Dr de Marco said that domestic tourism in the UK had increased by 68 per cent as a result of the country's economic situation.
Regarding the global fuel crisis Dr de Marco said he has been told that the break-even level for a flight beyond two and a half hours is 110 per cent capacity. "There is no doubt that the airline industry has been badly hit by the fuel crisis and we have already witnessed some routes to and from Malta being dropped. This is a challenge we have to face," he said.
Dr de Marco said code sharing by Air Malta and the introduction of chartered flights could help increase flights to Malta. "Although for example Air Malta dropped its flight to Glasgow, it has now introduced chartered flights from Glasgow to Newcastle to Malta. If there is a big enough demand there could be direct chartered flights to and from Glasgow and Newcastle."
Dr de Marco said the MTA was always in touch with different airports to discuss possible new routes to Malta, citing Bari as the latest new route to be introduced. However, he said that one had to be realistic and take into consideration the economic circumstances. "We are told that at the moment airlines are seeing which routes to axe not to increase," he said.
The Parliamentary Secretary echoed Mr DeCesare's emphasis on the importance of the environment in the tourism product. "That is why the government has initiated a new drive on the enforcement of cleanliness regulations. However, we are all in this together and we expect everyone to play their part whether it is catering establishments taking out their garbage at the proper time or people cleaning up after a barbeque at the beach."
Dr de Marco said Paceville needed consistent patrolling by the police in an effort to improve the product. He said regulations must be enforced, whether they were permits, sound regulations or regulations prohibiting drinking in the streets.
He added: "I would like to see a more serious effort by the police as far as enforcement is concerned. The entrance to Valletta, (City Gate), for example, looks like a shanty town."
"If the MTA were to receive a further €2 million, then I believe winter could be saved and we could witness a possible increase also. We should carry out an intensive marketing campaign on all our core markets but especially in the UK as it has historically always been easier to attract British tourists to visit Malta. The British tend to give their holidays more priority than their European counterparts," he told The Times Business soon after the MHRA second quarter results for this year were published.
The MTA currently has a budget of €24,458,000 per annum.
Mr DeCesare also called for a number of flight routes to be opened up namely Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Milan and Charleroi (south of Brussels).
He added: "We would need to spend a further €2 million if all these routes would be opened."
Mr DeCesare lambasted the state of the country's cleanliness calling it "a disgrace" and stressed that Malta's product needed to be improved.
"You see filth everywhere and we cannot seem to get a handle on it. Everyone knows that this is a huge problem, so it is really surprising that nothing is done about it. We have managed to tackle the roundabouts by using the public-private partnership scheme but we cannot seem to extend it to anything else.
"The total lack of enforcement is turning our country into a real mess.
"People drinking in the street are still evident despite the new laws which prohibit it. We need to have on-the-spot fines for people littering. We need to tackle noise pollution," he said.
He added: "If the MTA had executive powers in tourist areas, then we might see an improvement but the MTA would then have to have its own structures beefed up to handle this. These are things we have discussed ad nauseum but nothing ever happens. In reality, without enforcement, nothing will ever change."
Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Mario de Marco said he would naturally welcome any additional funds for the MTA, not only for marketing but also for product development. However, he said, one had to be realistic about the situation.
"I don't think it is only additional marketing which will make a difference in the figures for next winter.
"There are two main challenges facing the tourism industry namely the economic situation in countries like Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain - all important markets for Malta - as well as the global fuel crisis," he said.
Dr de Marco said a person facing a difficult economic situation would probably not decide to go on holiday as a result of additional adverts. "It is important not to out price ourselves and we need to offer good value for money and at the same time market more effectively," he said.
Dr de Marco said that domestic tourism in the UK had increased by 68 per cent as a result of the country's economic situation.
Regarding the global fuel crisis Dr de Marco said he has been told that the break-even level for a flight beyond two and a half hours is 110 per cent capacity. "There is no doubt that the airline industry has been badly hit by the fuel crisis and we have already witnessed some routes to and from Malta being dropped. This is a challenge we have to face," he said.
Dr de Marco said code sharing by Air Malta and the introduction of chartered flights could help increase flights to Malta. "Although for example Air Malta dropped its flight to Glasgow, it has now introduced chartered flights from Glasgow to Newcastle to Malta. If there is a big enough demand there could be direct chartered flights to and from Glasgow and Newcastle."
Dr de Marco said the MTA was always in touch with different airports to discuss possible new routes to Malta, citing Bari as the latest new route to be introduced. However, he said that one had to be realistic and take into consideration the economic circumstances. "We are told that at the moment airlines are seeing which routes to axe not to increase," he said.
The Parliamentary Secretary echoed Mr DeCesare's emphasis on the importance of the environment in the tourism product. "That is why the government has initiated a new drive on the enforcement of cleanliness regulations. However, we are all in this together and we expect everyone to play their part whether it is catering establishments taking out their garbage at the proper time or people cleaning up after a barbeque at the beach."
Dr de Marco said Paceville needed consistent patrolling by the police in an effort to improve the product. He said regulations must be enforced, whether they were permits, sound regulations or regulations prohibiting drinking in the streets.
He added: "I would like to see a more serious effort by the police as far as enforcement is concerned. The entrance to Valletta, (City Gate), for example, looks like a shanty town."