The tourist sector is, once more, looking up. It has yet to be seen whether the prevailing momentum will be sustained. There is no denying that, over the past years, the Malta tourism industry has passed though a period of turbulence, having lost pace for a number of reasons, some of which were beyond control.
The industry is one of the pillars of the Maltese economy, and the reverses it has suffered, particularly during the past lean years, have had a negative impact on the economy.
The government’s decision to restructure the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) was overdue, and was therefore a positive step forward, but there is a lot to be done after the disappointing performance of the sector when Mr Romwald Lungaro Mifsud was in the MTA’s
driving seat.
Going for quality
I recall an interview in The Malta Independent on Sunday (16 May 2005) in the course of which Mr Lungaro Mifsud explained that, in order to regain market share, Malta had no option but to improve its product and go for quality. Otherwise, he reckoned, Malta would be losing out to its competitors.
He spoke of a comprehensive clean-up programme covering a number of tourist areas that attract high tourist volumes. A detailed plan, with stipulated time frames, had been drawn up, and was to be completed in time for the summer season…
Boiled down to essentials, Mr Lungaro Mifsud’s main target was to raise standards, enabling the industry to go for quality and to offer value for money.
However belated, this initiative would have made a difference – but it turned out that these were famous last words.
Achilles heel
Improving product Malta was the raison d’etre of the Malta Tourism Authority from its inception. But the MTA has, in the main, preoccupied itself more with selling the product in overseas markets, than in ensuring that the product was up to standard.
This has been, and is likely to continue to be, the authority’s Achilles heel.
How can the Tourism Authority sell Malta, offering value for money, when the state of so many roads is deplorable, public transport facilities leave much to be desired, so many taxi and karozzin drivers (not all, by any means) fleece tourists with abandon, and unscrupulous restaurant owners overcharge them under the nose of, and in spitting distance from, the proper authorities?
To speak of competiveness, we must look at ourselves, and assess whether we
really mean business unless we are in no position to play fair, and to enforce discipline where the unscrupulous and the greedy play ducks and drakes with Malta’s
legitimate business aspirations.
Questions
Why aren’t all taxis fitted with meters and charge accordingly? Why can’t the tourist industry match in all respects the services offered by its competitors in nearby Sicily in terms of cleanliness, service, heritage and well-kept beaches? Why is there no adequate inspectorate with powers to impose discipline where cowboys brazenly rule the roost?
I recall raising the same questions two years ago or so in this newspaper. The situation has not changed tangibly. If anything, the construction industry has made things worse for visiting tourists and their Maltese hosts, and the state of the environment has deteriorated in terms of pollution – particularly air pollution.
Nobody wants a situation evocative of a police state. But neither can the Malta tourist industry survive, if its commanding heights are taken over by a vociferous mafia that knows no limits, and stops at nothing, to make a quick buck.
Would it not be counter-productive and pointless if the MTA were to continue to plough the same old furrow, and concentrate on selling the Malta product overseas, rather than first making sure that the product it has to sell offers value for money?
During the past years, the Tourism Authority could not make the necessary headway because it often operated from “cloud nine”.
The “new” authority is positioned to work with its feet on the ground. It has yet to show the necessary horse sense, and must be careful not to insist on putting the cart before the horse.
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