A common strategy undertaken by international communities needs to be put into place in order to defend the Mediterranean Sea
from challenges threatening its role and its image.
Photo: The Blue Grotto, Wied iż-Żurrieq
held various tourism-related posts,
including Minister of Tourism
in Tunisia. He is a graduate from
University of Tunis and attended
the Queen Elizabeth College (London). Since 2007 he has been a special adviser to the Secretary General
of UNWTO, and president of FIJET, the international organisation
of travel and tourism journalists for
the last 20 years.
Haddad is very proud to be part of
the Mediterranean. It is universally
recognised that Mare Nostrum is
the cradle of most of noteworthy
civilisations.
The Mediterranean Sea represents
the region’s common richness:
apart from its important role in
navigation and the fish industry,
the Mediterranean Sea is the main
pillar of the tourism sector in every
Mediterranean tourist destination.
The cultural heritage, whether it
is Phoenician, Greek, Pharaonic,
Arab or Roman, is the main pillar of the Mediterranean tourism
product.
The most important aspects that
Haddad feels the Mediterranean
Tourism Foundation will be involved in include the preservation of
the sea itself and finding ways to defend it from the challenges threatening its role and its image, mainly
the challenge of pollution that is a
real threat for all beaches, fauna and
flora. A common strategy under-
INSIDER SPECIAL EDITION
taken by international communities
needs to be put into place.
The Foundation’s raison d’être is to
promote the Mediterranean region
and its image as one global destination, to attract more tourists from
all over the world and to enhance
cooperation and coordination
among Mediterranean destinations
with regard to common concerns
as well as to create a Mediterranean
Tourism institute.
The basis of all this is to find more
ways of creating sustainable tourism—without which all tourism will
die.
Regarding the latest spate of terrorism which has gripped the
world, Haddad thinks that much
can be achieved if Governments,
populations and decision-makers
fully understand that terrorism has
no home and no nationality.
“Terrorism,” Haddad says, “can
happen anywhere and anytime. It is
hard to implement but governments
should not be too ready to ban travel
to any country hit by the scourge of
terrorism; as that would mean accepting all that the terrorists want—
to terrorise us all, to make us fear
everything. Nowhere is completely
safe—so should we go nowhere?
“Life should continue: football
stadiums should resume their
games, theatres should resume
their activities, restaurants should
continue to serve their clients
on terraces and tourism should
resume its normal growth.”
The advisory council of the MTF is
made up of many leading tourism
personalities. Maria Micallef is
chairman of Air Malta and holds a
top position in a leading company
in Malta involved in bottling,
hospitality and retail.
Micallef
considers
the
Mediterranean a strategic location
between three continents rich in
history, culture and landscape.
Her experience in various
businesses has demonstrated
that the intrinsic qualities of the
Mediterranean area are unique on
an international level.
Micallef
thinks
that
the
Mediterranean Tourism Foundation
should be at the forefront of
promoting the Mediterranean
as a strategic location ensuring
sustainability, prosperity and peace.
One area where she believes the
tourism foundation should focus
on is promoting multiple-point
destination packages to people
interested in holidays or business
opportunities and then upgrading
the various products, infrastructure
and service.
To sustain the growth in tourism,
Micallef agrees that events are key
to spread the tourist influx and to
reduce the seasonality which all
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