A new legal notice regulating the conduct and operation of timeshare touts is in its final stages and will be published shortly, Minister for Tourism and Culture Francis Zammit Dimech revealed earlier this week.

The minister made this announcement during a discussion programme Realta presented by Brian Hansford, which had tourism and timeshare as its main topics.

It seems that the legal notice will have the backing of the Opposition as Labour spokesperson Evarist Bartolo, who also participated in the programme, said that barring any unforeseen developments, the parliamentary group would support the legislation.

British Jet managing director Robbie Borg had harsh words for certain timeshare touts who are allegedly ruining the tourism business with their aggressive tactics.

The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke to Charles Micallef, Group General Manager of Cavendish Hotels, operators of The Santa Maria & San Anton Hotels (1,422 beds) who is clearly angry about the way timeshare touts operate.

“Over the years we have all sat back and read numerous ‘Letters to the Editor’ written mainly by visitors from the United Kingdom, who came to Malta for a peaceful holiday but instead experienced various incidents of harassment, were sworn at, and on occasions even threatened with physical violence by some timeshare OPCs.”.

Mr Micallef conceded that major and professional ‘Timeshare Resort Operators’ have found a different method of marketing and are selling their product very successfully, instead of the now familiar OPCs harassing “guests” on every street corner.

“The ‘Timeshare Touts’, or as they are referred to by our clients, ‘Lager Louts’, have done untold damage to the tourism industry over the years and have got a lot to answer for”.

He insisted that the only people who still haven’t addressed the problem of OPCs are some of the Timeshare Resort Owners, who “are hiding behind these marketing firms” run mainly by doubtful characters and thereby allowing this arrogance to carry on unabated.

“In reality, there should be no need for any new laws as does it need an ‘Act of Parliament’ to be courteous to our visitors. If these resort owners/operators use the same standards of service in procuring timeshare sales as they offer in their resort/ hotel’s facilities, there will be no issue. They are the ones who are accepting double standards and are ultimately benefiting from these sales and it is they who should act more diligently and be held responsible”.

Mr Micallef said that although the government had recently proposed a new law under “Malta Travel & Tourism Services Act (CAP, 409) to regulate “Timeshare Promotion”, he said that in Malta things are done to appease half a dozen individuals who “have friends in high places”.

“The main objection now appears to be against MEPA permits for booths in prominent areas. The idea is that the OPCs will be restricted to selling Timeshare within a prescribed number of metres from these booths and, although this situation is not perfect, it is the lesser of two evils.”

He says that this would stop visitors from being harassed in the streets and the hassling of those tourists who refuse to play one of their silly scratch card games or whatever other incentive they offer.

“This ‘scratch card’ method together with free bus timetables are used to persuade visitors to accompany them to one of the Timeshare complexes in order to receive their ‘prize’. But in reality they are then treated to a few hours of ‘hard sell technique’ in the hope that they will buy a timeshare slot in their resort. Again, all these sales techniques are currently done under the licence from The Malta Tourism Authority.’

Mr Micallef revealed that some visitors are stopped by as many as six different groups of OPCs in a half- kilometre walk, and that is when the clients generally lash out; even if the OPC’s approach is polite; having to repeat the same “thank you but no thank you” six times in succession every few metres, is extremely irritating and on many occasions they understandably lose their temper.

“The only solution is that the ‘buck’ must stop with the Resort Owners /Operators , who must stop hiding behind marketing companies and be held responsible for the way in which their particular resort is marketed. We cannot continue to allow these owners/operators to use the excuse that timeshare produces 10 per cent of the tourism market, and a reason to harass the remainder of the 90 per cent of tourists visiting Malta who are not associated or interested in timeshare.”

Mr Micallef insists that timeshare may well suit many people and certainly seems to be lucrative for hotel owners/operators as many people do revisit Malta year after year.

“If the product is so good why can’t they just say, ‘We are selling timeshare in this resort, would you be interested in taking look?’ Some of the timeshare resort owners have succeeded, what are the rest waiting for? If one has faith in one’s product, then one should have no hesitation in promoting that product truthfully from the start”.