Having just returned home from a month's visit in Malta, I thought I would share my experiences as a tourist. Had I been a first-time visitor, certain events would have left a more pronounced impression one way or another.

I had a very pleasant surprise when I arrived at MIA with the new arrival area, which, although still under construction, was very inviting indeed. This pleasant experience was immediately nullified by an unexplained 45-minute delay in receiving the luggage. On the same plane there were another 150 tourists, mainly from Germany, who were likewise not terribly impressed, especially knowing that the plane was hardly 50 yards from the terminal. Where were the baggage handlers?

This time I stayed in St Julians and the back veranda provided me with a spectacular view of the bay and surrounding area. I was impressed by the number of construction projects throughout the area, which is an indication of the amount of investment being made in both housing and tourist accommodation alike. Sliema and St Julians remain prime tourist areas with plenty of good restaurants and other entertainment establishments. Being fairly close to St Julians bay area, I attended the local feast at the end of August and enjoyed the musical programme by the St Julians band on the eve of the feast with the participation of the St Julians Choral Group and tenor Brian Cefai. It was a great pity that certain clarinet solos could not be heard and enjoyed due to incessant pealing of bells and firing of loud petards. Both proved to be serious distractions for both the musicians and the sizable audience. It was a real treat to hear arias sung by Mr Cefai.

In Sliema, one of the restaurants my wife and I frequented was the Magic Kiosk where, a couple of days before returning home, we enjoyed grilled lampuki, cooked to perfection. Compliments to the chef and the manager, who I know is called Louis. The waiters were courteous and attended to the patrons' requests in a timely fashion. It is a pity that this establishment is engulfed in uncertainty due to the pending expiry of their lease. I am certain that, should the present management not be given an opportunity to continue, albeit in some other form, the kiosk will be missed. Over the last two decades or so, it has been a landmark and a rendezvous for locals and tourists alike.

The City Gate area and bus terminus remain an eyesore and it is incomprehensible how so many euros are spent to enhance the tourism industry and, yet, not enough interest seems to be in the offing in order to make the Valletta entrance worthy of a world heritage site. During my 30-day stay, not once was the Triton fountain functioning during the day.

The waste separation system seems to be working just fine and in St Julians I noticed many cars stopping at drop off skips unloading their glass, plastic, metal and paper discards. A contractor empties the skips periodically and, in so doing, the skips are lifted and emptied but the bits and pieces falling from the skips are left to litter the area. It seems that the job is 95 per cent done, so why not go one tiny step further and finish it 100 per cent?

Malta has so much to offer to the tourist, however it seems that we are quite happy to catch and bring in the first-time visitors while we pay little attention to repeat business.