He added that, according to figures released by the National Statistics Office, the number of tourists departing from Malta in the first six months of this year showed a marginal increase of 0.3 per cent. The most encouraging result was

that obtained in June, when an increase of 8.1 per cent in tourist departures, compared with June of last year, was registered.

He said that there was also an increase of six per cent in expenditure by tourists in June – from Lm41.9 million to Lm44.4 million. He said that these figures are encouraging and confirmed projections that the tourism sector will start picking up in the second quarter of this year.

Dr Zammit Dimech said that in tourism “we are no longer in the fast growth lane as we were in the 1960s when we first embarked on our tourism experience and when the Pisani family decided to diversify their business to the tourism sector, opening their first hotel in Attard on 11 June 1968.”

During those years growth was in two-digit figures because local tourism was in its infancy and as such any increase was a two-digit percentage increase. “Today we have a fully-fledged tourism sector with 130 hotels and 1,000 restaurants, and with many amenities to suit our visitors’ expectations.”

He said that today we do not look north for our competitors but south. “We do not compete any more for the sun, sea and sand holidays but we compete with our niche markets – our culture, our history, our English language schools, our diving sites, our yacht marinas and our cruise liner passenger terminal. We compete with our conference and incentive sector. And we are identifying new niche markets which will give us the necessary growth.”

Dr Zammit Dimech said that whereas in the past Malta’s tourism sector was dependant on the British market, it has now been diversified to other European markets and new markets are being tapped in the USA and the Far East.

New research by the World Travel and Tourism Council revealed that the 10 new member states of the EU stand to generate together an additional E46 billion on travel and three million jobs by 2010. This research indicates that “the crucial element in making a success of this opportunity is for a conscious and consistent partnership to be forged between private operators and governments, and among all levels of government”.

In the case of Malta, the latent potential of travel and tourism was calculated to increase the sector’s GDP from E443 million to E752 million by 2010 and jobs from 19,478 to 26,539.

The Tourism Minister said that the survey carried out by the World Travel & Tourism Council shows that the Maltese Government’s spending to support the tourism sector is the highest of the 10 new members. It is calculated at 3.4 per cent of Government consumption against an EU average of 1.9 per cent.

Dr Zammit Dimech said that Malta’s tapping of the conferences and incentive market is the natural result of the government’s policy to encourage the construction of Five star Hotels of which we have 13 ,with two more in the course of construction.

He added that a study conducted by the Malta Tourism Authority found out that “four per cent of total tourist arrivals are conference and incentive delegates who spend approximately three times as much as an average tourist”.

Major conferences bring to Malta as many as 1,000 delegates, each of whom is given the quality treatment that he or she has a right to. This is an experience that these delegates take back to their own countries and which is our best marketing chip.

Dr Zammit Dimech said that the Corinthia Group, through its Regional Sales Office for Meetings, Conferences and Incentives in Malta, is promoting Malta as a venue for conferences and incentives. He said that judging by their success story in the tourism sector, with a portfolio of 25 hotels in eight countries, he was sure that the Corinthia Group will also succeed in this high yield tourism venture.