The slight increase in the number of tourist arrivals in November was not enough to offset the sector’s negative performance in 2006, but it has given stakeholders and the government hope that a revival may not be that far off.

According to the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), the figures for December are quite positive and its members are cautiously a little more optimistic that the bad days may be over.

However, the local tourism industry is equally conscious of the fact that the figures will not increase on their own, and that greater emphasis must be placed on enhancing the product, marketing the island abroad and improving seat capacity on important and strategic routes.

The full impact of low-cost airlines on Malta will be felt this year, but we cannot depend solely on carriers like Ryanair or Meridiana. We need to get our own act together and give tourists a good reason to come here – apart from the means to get here in the first place.

On Monday, the National Strategic Plan for Tourism in Malta and Gozo came into force, signalling the beginning of a major exercise over the coming months to rejuvenate Malta’s tourism industry. Speaking to this newspaper earlier in the week, stakeholders insisted that they will be keeping a close watch on the government and those responsible for the implementation of the plan: they have warned that it must not become another report gathering dust on the minister’s desk.

The national plan and the strategic plan launched by the Malta Tourism Authority – if properly implemented – should not only merge seamlessly but they should result in a marked improvement in Brand Malta.

The national plan alone covers more than 20 areas of policy and 275 actions and is probably one of the most wide-ranging policy/plan documents to be published by the government. However, drawing up government policy and drafting the 275 actions that are needed is the easy part. The difficult part will be translating these into concrete and fruitful reality.

On Monday, the Tourism Minister told the media that the government will be monitoring its implementation. Unfortunately, the present administration does not have a strong track record of enforcement, and this is where the minister (and the government) are risking a lot.

The minister risks losing face if the 275 proposed actions are not implemented as promised. The national plan affects every single government ministry, not the Tourism Ministry, and this is a particularly worrying fact. The national tourism plan depends so much on the smooth cooperation of every single ministry and, judging from recent history, even the most optimistic of observers will have serious doubts that the plan can be implemented in its entirety.

It is critically important that the Tourism Minister, together with all other relevant ministries and all the stakeholders within the industry, works very hard to get the plan implemented in the shortest time possible.

Along with enforcement, people have to start being held accountable if they do not perform. From the minister at the top, to field managers responsible for even the most minor of tasks, they all have to be accountable if they fail to get this national plan off the ground.

Someone has to be held accountable for every action and every policy decision. And if necessary, heads should roll – even if that head belongs to the minister responsible.

This will be a crucial year for the tourism sector. The dismal performance registered in the first three quarters of 2006, coupled with the much-ridiculed branding exercise, have taken their toll. Hoteliers and restaurateurs can only take so much punishment, year-in, year-out. The government has listened to the stakeholders and has come up with a national plan of action. Now, it has to ensure that the 275 actions are implemented as soon as possible.