Both private enterprise and the government have recognised this and, in fact, a survey published by the World Travel and Tourism Council shows that the government’s average expenditure on the sector is higher than the EU average and the highest among the new member countries, he said. Malta invests an average of 3.4 per cent of its spending budget on tourism, while the average for EU members stands at 1.9 per cent.
Dr Zammit Dimech was speaking at the Intercontinental Hotel, after he was given a tour of the complex along with other outlets at Bay Street on occasion of World Tourism Day. Earlier in the day the minister had opened a photographic exhibition at the Auberge d’Italie in Valletta.
Malta joins the rest of the world on this day in recognising the importance of tourism, not only for the economy but also as an avenue for cultural exchange, the minister explained. Independence brought with it a diversification of the Maltese economy that developed upon the two pillars of manufacturing and tourism. The sector had just started in 1964, he said, when a total of 37,573 people visited Malta staying in 36 hotels with a total of 2,360 beds. In comparison, said Dr Zammit Dimech, last year 1,126,601 tourists stayed in 130 hotels, with 40,000 rooms between them – a figure that excludes village resorts and complexes, he added.
Together with these accommodation facilities Malta now boasts over 1,000 restaurants and an impressive number of entertainment outlets that give tourists a good choice during their stay. The private sector is investing heavily in this sector, Dr Zammit Dimech pointed out. Some 16 hotels are being built or extended at the moment, totalling an investment of some Lm51 million. The five-star sector will see an increase of 412 rooms, the four-star 2,012 rooms and the capacity of three-star establishments will increase by 130 rooms. The minister announced that the Malta Tourism Authority has just given its go ahead for two self-catering cluster investments worth over Lm3 million, not to mention the Lm170 million invested in Tigne Point, Manoel Island, the Cottonera marina and the Cruise Passenger Terminal in Valletta. All this shows that, while still recovering, both the government and the private sector had faith in the sector’s future. The sector had been hit badly by the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001, he said, recalling how in that year tourism fell by 1.9 per cent followed by 2.9 per cent in 2002. Last year the losses were reduced to 0.6 per cent while this year, although the first five months were worst than last year, there had been a recovery during June and July and indications indicated that August will have confirmed this trend, he said. The positive trend was helped by the promotion the country received during the EU accession celebrations in which Malta, despite being the smallest country, gave the most prominent displays. Prospects for the rest of the year are good and if everyone recognises the importance of the sector and does his bit to ensure that tourists are given value for their money, then the sector will continue to expand.In line with this year’s World Tourism Day theme: Tourism and Sports: two live forces for mutual understanding, culture and social development, Dr Zammit Dimech said that sport-related tourism was being promoted in every way possible. “The government looks at this sector not only as a niche sector for tourism but also as a platform from which to promote understanding with different peoples.”
Over the past 15 years, he reminded his listeners, two sports complexes have been built, one in Gozo and the other in Cottonera, while another complex is being built in Karwija. The national pool was built and the sport facilities in Marsa were modernised. The Malta Football Federation today has two football grounds that are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. These developments, besides providing the Maltese people with healthy avenues of entertainment, encourage foreigners to come to Malta to practice their sport when the weather in their country is not ideal.
More specifically, the minister mentioned that over 50,000 tourists visit the islands every year for scuba-diving, and yacht racing was another growing sector. The development of the sector is being increasingly tied with culture, with those who visit Malta appreciating more the rich history, art and culture of the Maltese islands. The tourism sector is the fastest-growing industry all around the world, the minister concluded, making special mention of the developing countries to the south of Malta, which is why government and the private sector have to keep working so that tourism remains a sector from which the Maltese people benefit.