Addressing the Business Breakfast organised by the Malta Business Weekly and the Ministry for Tourism, the Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis said that last year was a particularly good year for the tourism sector in Malta. He said there already is an indication that this year will be another record, as the latest statistics already show that 855,000 tourist came to Malta in the first six months on this year.
He referred to the bureaucracy which employers in the tourism sector have to face and that is why the Minister will be proposing a reform in legislation will be presented in Parliament to address these issues.
"A key objective in the coming weeks is to have a plan to improve Air Malta, to become more relevant in the future. We need an airline which induces profit and lowers cost," he added.
The Minister announced that there are ongoing discussions with three airlines to include Malta in their route. This summer, Malta has already attracted three new airlines. Dr Zammit Lewis also announced that a second company will set shop in Malta in the cruise liner business in the year 2017. A new Malta Cruise Network Forum will also be set up.
Malta Tourism Authority Director Leslie Vella gave a detailed presentation of the tourism sector in Malta and how this compares to other destinations. Malta remains one of the strongest and most consistent destinations, with Portugal being the only country surpassing Malta.
He noted that the gap between high season and low season is still high.
MTA CEO Paul Bugeja said Malta has a better segmented approach towards the tourism sector. He said that Malta needs to communicate its message through an approach which reflects the changes in the market.
"We will continue to put Malta in the cultural and entertainment tourism map," he promised.
He spoke about employment in this sector and insisted that there needs to be very skill specific development in various segments of tourism. Mr Bugeja said although men power increased at MTA, personnel must keep on increasing to keep up with all the demand.
Corinthia Chairman and CEO Alfred Pisani said that in terms of looking forward, one must bear in mind the capacity as Malta cannot keep up with other country's numbers such as France. He said another consideration is the balance of the economy. "This balance must not go in one direction. Rather, we need a collective approach and appreciate the additional income we can achieve if we attract the high quality tourists."
MTA Chairman Gavin Gulia said there is still more room for growth, especially during the off peak season. "Room for growth means that there is room to improve the quality," he added.
The Business Breakfast proceeded with a panel discussion, moderated by the Malta Independent news editor Rachel Attard.
Andrew Aguis Muscat from MHRA said there are currently 18 applications for hotels in Gozo. He said Malta needs to offer an all-round destination to attract more tourists.
Managing Director of Standard Publications, Mr Noel Azzopardi complained of the lack of cleanliness in the Sliema, St Julian's area and particularly highlighted the bring-in sites which litter the area even more. Philip Fenech from GRTU said that success brings wear and tear and this is why the prime locations are "a little worn out".
Joseph Galea, the new acting CEO for AirMalta explained that the developments in place for the national airline are perhaps the most important in the last years. "We are working with a view to form part of one of the largest airlines in the world," he added. "What we will do now is what we already did in the past. We cannot work on our own. The partnership will be solid."
Asked about how AirMalta will be competing with the ever increasing airline in Malta, Mr Galea said competition makes it tougher but in the airline industry competition was always there and it will always be present.
Hungarian MEP Istvan Ujhel, called for a strong European Tourism Network for EU countries to work together in the booming tourism sector.
MHRA President Tony Zahra said that AirMalta is important to Malta, and that is why all the decisions must not be taken abroad. "We have the experience; we have to let the Maltese takes the necessary decisions."
"You can't run an airline with so many people. We cannot spend so much money as if there's no tomorrow."
He warned that it will be a very bad decision if the strategic decisions are taken from abroad.
The Business Breakfast organised by The Malta Business Weekly, themed 'The Future of Tourism in Malta', started off with an introductory speech by Standard Publications Managing Director Mr Noel Azzopardi.
The Business Breakfast will be discussing the results achieved by Malta in the tourism sector, but it also aims to highlight what are the plans for the future. All of this after the latest NSO statistics which were published yesterday showing that the percentage of tourist arriving in Malta increased by 5.8%.