Last week I was among the guests of the management of Cafe Premier in Valletta. As widely reported in various newspapers, I was surprised at the atmosphere they managed to create, which brought other piazzas across Europe into my mind.

The comparisons of tourists seeking such an atmosphere and its benefits were talked about, and my colleague Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, who inaugurated the evening, listened to my small dream.

I imagined the Valletta area as a whole and compared it to the sites, far less interesting and inviting, in Paris and all over Italy, Vienna and the rest.

A historical backdrop of a piazza, like that of Piazza Regina is unbeatable, what with the Parliament building lit up, the public library, and the whole surroundings, coupled with good food and excellent entertainment by George il-Puse on the night, can be a success story for tourists. Churches should also remain open throughout the evening, preferably but not only St John’s co-Cathedral, shops should have no obstacles to remaining open, cafes could take out chairs and tables onto the pavement in the evenings and artists could ply their trade on the main road.

Already, the recently refurbished Barrakka gardens may remain open in order for visitors to see the fantastic harbour scene and coaches will have no hindrance in carrying customers to their destination.

The whole idea was tabled, literally, to the deputy mayor of Valletta, the business community representatives present, and local tour operators who attended. This daily evening atmosphere will surely encourage others to follow the lead of Cafe Premier but, most of all, will give tourists the evening outing most clients complain about due to its absence in Malta.

My appeal is to all the various authorities involved in this entire process to avoid lengthy bureaucracy, to view this project holistically and give it a try, maybe for the coming summer months. Based on results, one could programme this entire scenario properly for next year, adding a colourful touch of flags as you go down Republic Street. This is not re-inventing the wheel, this is just a copy of various piazzas and places in capital cities, where tourists eventually fight for a table outside on a pavement. What we have as raw material here in Malta, through our capital city and the historical surroundings wherever you stroll, will make a visit to Malta so much better.

Again, moving fast is the secret in this business.

Here is an appeal to the Malta Tourism Authority to move faster. Exercises that take years to be fully implemented, adverts that are going astray along with good money, branding that will, in effect, be put out to the foreign public in 2007, is a slow road map. Industry out there is fast-moving. We have lost precious years, and do not have the growth we all need to sustain ourselves as an island nation.

Already, indications are that unemployment figures are down, which is a good sign. This sector can only help to keep those figures down, or even improve them. They might, however, increase them, if we continue to lag behind.’

Tourism is the key. Let’s move forward, fast.

Robert Arrigo is a Nationalist MP