6
EXECUTIVE
TRAVELLER
INTERVIEW
The Maltese Islands – prospects for a
flourishing tourism industry
The Hon Minister of Tourism Karmenu Vella says this will be a record year for tourism but there is still much
more to be done.
Interview by Rebecca Pace
You have been in the driving seat as Tourism
Minister since only March 2013. What practices
did you inherit from your predecessor at the
ministry? What changes have you already
implemented?
Tourism is an aspect of Malta’s economic policy
on which there should be a level of general
consensus. This would be of benefit to the
industry as it ensures continuity in spite of
changes in administration or ministers. There is
no doubt that I inherited a tourism industry whose
main indicators, namely the number of tourists,
nights stayed and expenditure have grown. Still,
the industry still faces a number of challenges
in terms of operating cost, profitability, a lack of
investment and re-investment, levels and quality
of employment, new market penetration, and a
seasonality issue. My predecessor left a functional
setup at the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) which
still needs to be strengthened and empowered
further to be able to meet modern and future
tourism trends and demands. Together with the
ministry we have to play a more proactive role
in the development of new products, the search
for new markets, and must work towards better
accessibility.
What is the good that you intend building on
and what approach will your ministry be taking
in order to attract more tourists to our islands
in the coming years?
It looks like this year will be a record year in
terms of arrivals, bed nights and revenue. These
are very positive results and we will continue to
strengthen them. However, tourism is not only
about attracting more tourists. This should not be
our only and final objective.
We need to convert the low season months from
loss making to profitability. We need to reduce
industry operational costs to achieve higher return
on investment and subsequently re-investment.
We need to create more full-time employment
opportunities for our workforce to increase its
participation rate. We need to go beyond lip
service on the tapping into new markets and
segments and we also need to dissect the bigger
picture into a number of smaller ones so that we
“ We need a
“five star product”
and not only
“five star
accommodation”
”
will be able to address those elements which have
not benefited as much as others.
What is the government doing to further
promote quality tourism in Malta? Are there
any imminent innovative plans high-end quality
tourism? Do you feel that enough attention is
being given to this particular sector?
There is a long way to go before we even understand
what quality tourism is all about. Quality tourism
is a phenomenon F