The Opposition spokesman on tourism has called for an independent audit of fees charged by Malta International Airport.
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, speaking at a discussion on tourism, hosted by the GWU, said MIA operated a monopoly in what was one of the tourism industry's most important sectors. It would appear, however, that the company was charging whatever it wanted.
The Labour spokesman also called for a holistic tourism plan incorporating all areas somehow linked to the industry, including cleanliness and the roads.
It was important, she said, that the government took the tourism industry more seriously, not least because it accounted for a quarter of Malta's economy and employed 40,000.
Ms Coleiro-Preca also underlined the need for costs to be kept low and said the industry had been negatively affected by the rise in the water and electricity rates.
Another problem affecting tourism, she said, was that visitors from outside the EU were finding it more difficult to acquire visas since Malta joined the Schengen arrangement.
Ms Coleiro Preca urged the authorities to crack down on the unlawful employment of foreigners under inferior conditions, saying this was unfair to law abiding establishments and to the workers themselves.
Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco, reacting to the comments on the utility bills,quoted from a memo by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association which showed, last October, that as a result of capping, 456 hotels would actually see a reduction of up to 20 percent in their water and electric rates; 61 hotels would see a reduction of up to 13 percent, and nine hotels would see a drop of up to 10 percent. In contrast, 55 hotels were to see an increase of 10 percent and 12 were to see an increase of up to 20 percent.
Dr de Marco said that since many potential tourists were deciding late on whether or not to travel, the governemnt and the MTA had opted to extend overseas marketing well into July, despite the huge expense that this involved. For example, a month-long campaign of 15-second TV slots in one country only had cost €450,000.
The MTA over the past months had also hosted 1,000 travel agents and 800 travel journalists.
The Parliamentary Secretary underscored the efforts being made by the government to improve the tourism product, including the rehabilitation of tourist areas and facilities.
Various sectors were also receiving financial assistance under various schemes, the latest being the assistance given yesterday to sport associations which had accounted for 20,000 tourist bednights.