The Malta Tourism Authority chairman designate made a very important point last week when he said that Malta cannot cope with attracting volume tourism but should insist on offering something different.
Malta has been trying to diversify its tourism package and has had some degree of success in promoting eco-tourism, diving and many other niche areas.
However, Romwald Lungaro Mifsud touched on another subject, that of offering top-notch service to visitors. He said that Malta can only cope with about 1.5 million visitors per year.
Reading between the lines, Mr Lungaro Mifsud was speaking of economies of scale. Larger destinations can offer cheaper sun, sea and sand holidays than Malta can. It stands to reason that the more volume you have, the less you can offer your package for.
There have been attempts in the past to educate our tourism sector employees, as well as the general public, to offer a better service to tourists.
Mr Lungaro Mifsud said that Malta needed to offer quality, as this would “set us apart, make us special and generate repeat visits”. This is, in essence, very true. If we look at all the stories we hear of tourists coming back to Malta, their first visit dates back 20 years or more.
About 20 years ago, out tourism industry was a lot more customer-orientated; people visiting Malta were literally made to feel one of the family. Unfortunately, although not always the case, this mentality seems to have dissipated somewhat over the years. We need to go back to a situation where every visitor feels special in Malta. There are attractions on this island that many people come to see, but many will not come here, where it is more expensive than, for example Mallorca, just to see a neolithic temple.
But if we combine our islands’ strengths – such as the beautiful secrets in our capital city, the sun and sea, places such as Mdina and the many other glorious historical treasures we possess – with the utmost in hospitality, we will be able to compete.
Malta cannot offer what, for example Rome offers. We can, however, be nice to people and make them feel welcomed. We still talk about our reputation as the “friendly people in the middle of the Mediterranean”. Are we living up to that reputation as much as we should?
If we, as a nation, go back to focusing on this issue, then we will surely improve. Nothing is more effective than word-of-mouth advertising. If people go back to their homes and tell their friends that they had a lovely time in Malta, then it can surely help boost our product.
This is where the new STAR project comes into play. This project involves awarding employees in the tourism industry who offer a good service to tourists. It will facilitate matters by giving these people, who work in one of the most demanding industries in the world, a bigger incentive to treat our visitors well.
It is definitely a start, but it must not be a one-off, flash-in-the-pan scheme. It must be a sustained effort and it should also eventually spread to retail outlets. We must offer something that others do not. If we cannot attract volume tourism, which we cannot, we should definitely at least look after our existing clients. This does not mean that all the people who come once will definitely come again. But if some, and hopefully many, do return – or at least if they go back home happy and satisfied – they become walking and talking holiday brochures.
If we keep trying to dabble in the volume market, we will one day not be able to compete. We must continue to diversify and the primary way of doing this is to offer excellent service and value for money. People do not mind paying a bit more if they get something in return for what they spend.