It is quite rare to have a chairman of a public authority speak the way Romwald Lungaro Mifsud did last Tuesday.
The Malta Tourism Authority chairman was rather strong in his address during a seminar organised by the EU Affairs and Policy Development Directorate and the Tourism and Culture Ministry. The event was the first in a series of consultation meetings between the MTA and stakeholders in the industry.
Among other things, Mr Lungaro Mifsud said that Malta needs to rethink the way it runs its tourism business and become more aggressive and determined in the way it markets itself as a tourist destination. Malta is in direct competition with other countries, and “we must try to take their business just like they are trying to take ours”.
After listing several disadvantages that Malta has in comparison with other countries, such as higher operational costs, higher energy and development costs, higher food costs and limited carrying capacity, Mr Lungaro Mifsud said that the MTA cannot continue to work in isolation.
He said it needed all the support it can get from employers, commercial outlets and private enterprises to help an industry which, unless well taken care of, could find itself in difficulty.
When, for many years, the tourism industry kept growing and achieving records, both in terms of the number of people who visited as well as the money they spent here, there was a general feeling that this trend could never be reversed, that it could never go wrong. The industry grew to become a pillar of our economy, and thousands of people and their families until this very day rely heavily on it, directly or indirectly.
Yet, it can be said that the tourism industry is as strong as it is fragile, and any event can lead to it being dented or badly hit. The aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on the United States is just one example of how the tourism industry can be negatively affected, and not only in Malta.
But it is not only such unpleasant events that can be damaging. The smallest things can make or break the tourism industry. In an editorial on 5 January, TMID had said: “One smile could mean a repeat visit. Over the years we seem to have forgotten what a hospitable people we were in the past. Through complacency and neglect, we may have put the market at risk.”
While the authority is doing well to change its approach in its marketing strategy, and has appointed segment leaders to market Malta’s brand, we must all remember that after all each one of us is a tourism promoter. Those directly or indirectly employed in the industry must play their part too, but even that person who is stopped by a tourist asking for directions has an important role to play.
Mr Lungaro Mifsud said that the MTA needs to work in close partnership with all employers, commercial outlets and private enterprises in promoting tourism. By knowing what the tourist operators want – and after all, they and their employees know best because they come in close contact with tourists – the MTA can plan its strategy better because it would know all the strengths and weaknesses.
This strategy, as Mr Lungaro Mifsud specifically said, must become more aggressive and determined. The competition Malta is facing, not only from its neighbours in the Mediterranean basin but also from other countries across the world, is harsh.
Unless we pull our socks up, change our approach, work to improve Malta’s image, market Malta in the best way possible, coordinate all available resources and use all the experience gathered over the years, and, perhaps most importantly, welcome our visitors as a hospitable nation in all senses of the word, then it will be difficult for us to maintain a strong tourism industry.