For the second year running, the government has failed to achieve its self-set target to attract an additional 50,000 tourists per year over a three-year period. The total number of tourists visiting Malta and Gozo in the first six months of this year was the lowest in the past decade. Statistics for July show a decline of 2.9 per cent over the same month last year.
The above-mentioned targets were originally set after due deliberation. It now transpires that those who set the targets did not have their feet on the ground.
They were either swept off their feet by flights of fancy, or they failed to take the necessary measures to anticipate unfavourable developments that may have cropped up. They were so cut off from reality, they did not even revise their targets when the wind was blowing them off course. Who was accountable for this performance?
This question does not arise now, after the event, as it were. Leading lights in the tourism sector called, in good time, for the resignation of the Minister for Tourism.
Playing the ostrich
This newspaper was in the vanguard of the media pack and carried an outspoken leading article on 20 August entitled “Sorry, Francis, you must go”. Two days later, The Times lamented editorially about the nosedive sustained by the tourist industry, and about the loss of confidence within the industry of the MTA’s ability to muster a revival.
The government seems to be playing the ostrich, and buries its head in the sand.
When Prime Minister Gonzi addressed a press briefing, held after the first Cabinet meeting following the summer recess, he declared that he was satisfied with the performance of the Minister of Tourism.
Who is accountable?
There is no denying the fact that the tourist sector has been in free fall, and in turmoil, during the past two or three years. The Malta Tourist Authority was first overhauled, then disbanded and reformed.
Precious months were wasted in the controversy over the advisability or otherwise of opening the gates to low-cost carriers. Substantial funds were misspent on advertising. Meanwhile, several hotels closed down and others are to follow.
Ultimate accountability
Instead of fire-fighting to contain the damage, and taking timely initiatives to make good for the losses, the powers-that-be deflected public attention by launching a “Brand Malta” campaign, which instantly became an object of ridicule.
The Prime Minister has publicly acknowledged that “we need a leap in quality”. That need was evident when the government set its targets years ago. The fact that those targets were missed by a long shot means failure – failure by flying in the face of advice from leading voices in the tourist industry.
Crying over spilt milk will not save the tourist sector, and the Maltese economy, from their predicament. It is the government that sets policy and carries overall responsibility.
It is accountable to the electorate for results. It has yet to pin down responsibility for bad decisions, or the lack of them, and to remove from harm’s way the decision makers who led the tourist sector into a blind alley.
This is the way to convince the electorate and to persuade it to have faith in the country and in the quality of its leadership. The issue is one of confidence in the topmost management.