Your leader entitled Parting shot (TMID, 9 November), says, in reference to the tourism sector, that “we are reacting to a situation that has seemingly caught us unawares when the signs were there for all to see”.

Yes, I do believe that over the years Malta has lost its competitive edge compared to other countries in the Mediterranean area.

But I do not think that it is the government or the minister responsible that is to blame for the situation. I think that we over-rate Malta. There are many destinations worth visiting. And I say this with a heavy heart because I do love the country and all it has to offer.

But when you look at matters from an objective point of view, I think that Malta is too expensive for what it has to offer. Our restaurants charge similar prices to those tourists have to pay in cities like Paris, Rome and London, when Malta certainly cannot be compared to these cities.

Malta is still a dirty country whichever way you look at it. In spite of the efforts made by the government to instill more civic sense in our population, we still dump unwanted mattresses and furniture in the countryside and sometimes on our roads, too.

The public transport service also leaves much to be desired, and if tourists want to avoid it by hiring cars, then they will have to face our maddening driving and traffic management system.

Unfortunately, we have not managed to keep Malta as attractive as it used to be. And we have not kept it as competitive as it used to be.

We are all to blame for this, because we felt that whatever we did to the industry it would still remain strong. Now it is not anymore. I hope we are not too late to recover.

Paul Micallef

Paola