Tourism operators are seriously concerned about the prospect of flight cancellations in summer because of the erratic behaviour of Iceland's volcano, which experts say could lead to an "ash summer".
George Micallef, president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, said news that the volcano would continue to sporadically spew ash stoked fear in travellers and Malta was particularly vulnerable because it depended almost exclusively on air travel.
"It is of major concern and speaking of an ash summer is the worst possible message we can send to prospective travellers because people fear they would not be able to return home," he said.
The industry had seen an immediate drop in bookings in April, Mr Micallef said, when European airspace was closed for five days because huge volumes of ash posed serious risks to aircraft jet engines.
Still recovering from the impact of a global recession, the tourist industry could face increased pressure to lower its prices if fewer people travelled because of the ash cloud.
"This is bad news for us as hotels are still struggling to recoup some of last year's hefty losses," Mr Micallef added.
International press reports on Thursday quoted air control authorities and volcanic experts warning that Europe should brace itself for a summer of sudden flight disruptions caused by the Icelandic volcano.
The volcano started erupting on March 20 and led to the closure of northern Europe's airspace between April 15 and 20.
An estimated 10 million travellers were stranded worldwide.
"The market is fragile and uncertainty is the last thing we need. Tour operators have already downgraded their forecasts for this year but it all depends on what really happens. If the volcano goes quiet for a long stretch it will re-ignite hope," Mr Micallef said.
People can do very little before nature's fury and the situation is pretty much a wait-and-see affair at the moment.
On Monday, while addressing a public consultation meeting at Castille, Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco, who is responsible for tourism, said the government had worked to increase the number of flights to Malta and invested in widespread marketing to help the industry recoup from last year's battering.
"We can control a lot of things but volcanic ash is beyond us," he said when asked about the matter.
Predicting when the volcano would stop spewing ash is also beyond scientists, according to seismologist Pauline Galea from the University of Malta.
"Volcanic activity can be monitored but nobody can really predict with accuracy when it will stop because a lot of different factors come into play," she said.