Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi admitted yesterday that the target of an additional 50,000 tourists this year will not be met.

It was an ambitious target, he told Radio 101, and although the figures for August and September are not out yet, it does not seem as if it is going to be reached.

Dr Gonzi seemed to blame a number of reasons for this failure. Malta will have to make more serious improvements, he said, if it wants to attract more tourists.

After referring to the road programme, he also spoke about the need to keep Malta clean and beautiful. Creating additional golf courses will also serve to improve Malta’s tourism offer, as will the government’s plans to tackle waste management.

Dr Gonzi revealed that his holiday this year consisted of a cruise. He admitted that he admired the impeccable places he visited but, he added, Malta’s Grand Harbour is far better than any harbour he visited.

He praised the 16km of roads refurbished through the Italian Protocol which will be inaugurated tomorrow. The work had been completed in 16 months, he said, contrasting the way in which roads are being built today with the way roads such as the Marsascala Bypass were built by Lorry Sant. That meandering road causes one to think that it was fashioned according to whose field was going to be hit, he said.

Now that the roads are done, he said, one cannot allow them to deteriorate, as has already happened to these roads – with farmers “improving” the roads to suit their needs.

Dr Gonzi was scathing about Dr Sant during his time as PM, claiming that land in Pembroke and Mellieha was given to the MLP and leases were allowed to lapse. If Dr Sant wants to be believed, he said, he must first return all those Labour clubs in requisitioned property to their rightful owners.

Lastly, he referred to the port

handling tender. Cargo Handling always knew that their contract runs out in June 2006 and they always knew that, by EU rules, a call for expression of interest had to be issued. The aim of the exercise is to ensure that all those who use the harbour are well served and provided with an efficient and cost-efficient service, said Dr Gonzi.