Dr Zammit Dimech was delivering the opening address to an information meeting for potential applicants to an EU financial grant scheme.

He said that during the first seven months of the year, there had been a 4.8 per cent increase (31,688) in tourist departures by air compared with last year’s figures.

Dr Zammit Dimech said: “Although the tourism trade has slowed over the past three years, the government and the private sector have shown their faith in the industry by continuing to invest.”

He said that according to figures issued by the World Travel and Tourism Council, the Maltese Government spent 3.4 per cent of its revenue on tourism compared to the EU average of 1.9 per cent.

The private sector was engaged in the construction of 16 new hotels or extensions, said Dr Zammit Dimech, a total of about Lm60 million investment.

He said that Malta’s membership of the EU opened many doors of opportunity in the tourism sector. The aid scheme for the tourism sector was comprised of E2.5 million, of which 60 per cent would be a grant, while the remaining 40 per cent would be provided by the applicants.

The areas that would benefit from the scheme, he said, included serviced accommodation establishments, farmhouses, restaurants, English language schools, diving schools, privately owned museums, travel agencies and tourist attractions.

The investment projects catered for include: private projects related to cultural heritage, environment-friendly initiatives, the upgrading of the infrastructure, IT systems and marketing projects.

Dr Zammit Dimech said that taking up the grants would result in a better tourism product.