Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis this morning visited the main campus of the Institute for Tourism Studies in St Julian’s and told students that the sector was going through exciting times and record growth.
The institute will be accommodating over 600 students this year. Dr Zammit Lewis said the ITS has a very important role to ensure that Malta remains firmly on the success path in the future.
The Minister pointed out the latest inbound tourism figures published today by NSO confirming that for the first time in the month of August, Malta surpassed the quarter of a million figure in inbound tourists, registering a 3.4% increase on August 2015. “This is truly a historic achievement”, he said. Tourist expenditure between the first 8 months of the year reached the €1 billion mark, to be exact €1.157 billion, meaning 3.6% more than that registered between January and August of last year. This meant an increase of €40 million more in direct revenue in the economy.
The minister said ITS students will now have more opportunities than ever to grow both personally and professionally thanks to a consolidated and streamlined educational structure in the classroom and the possibilities provided through the Institute’s strong relationships with leading local and international tourism as well as hospitality players, leading to local and overseas placements, internships, sponsorships and networking opportunities, even while students are still in the process of finalising their studies.
Dr Zammit Lewis explained that Malta’s tourism competitiveness can only be sustained if growth is accompanied by the development of, and investment in, our human resources. To this end, we have been engaging all related stakeholders to secure their commitment towards measures designed to enhance the working conditions and the professional quality of the tourism workforce.
ITS Executive Director Pierre Fenech said: “we believe that through these opportunities that ITS provides, our students expand their knowledge and skills, gain an international perspective and, at the same time, build a very important network of friends and contacts on an international scale that will serve them for their careers in the tourism and hospitality industry.”
Freshers’ Week at the Institute of Tourism Studies is this year held on the 28th, 29th & 30th September, during which students have the opportunity to visit the various ITS Departmental stands to finalise the preparations for the start of their academic year.