The Maltese tourist industry has been subjected to many a crisis since it started in the sixties.

Nevertheless, this is the first time in the history of Maltese tourism that a crisis was self-inflicted, GRTU director general Vince Farrugia told this newspaper.

The inability of the Maltese Tourism Ministry to read modern market trends and to remain steadfastly in the clutches of sectoral interests that were incapable of rising to truly national criteria was the responsibility of the person who did not see it and was unable to steer away from it. The sorry state tourism is in today is very much the responsibility of the Minister; It’s the sum total of wrong policies, wrong decisions and bad management and bad marketing.

During the last four years, the Maltese tourist scenario has been one long fruitless controversy between the main stakeholders, particularly MHRA and the government. The Minister was terrified to bring in a third party like GRTU or any other “user representative” who could have helped to ensure that tourism grows above the petty interests of the people who dominate the scene, Mr Farrugia said.

This resulted in MTA being frozen in inactivity through a pathetic series of seemingly unending orders and counter orders leading to complete disorder. The top echelons of tourism management failed so miserably to understand the golden rules of efficient management.

For example, to mention a visible confusion, the closing and reopening of MTA overseas offices are a classic example of this, though only one of a never ending trail of conflicting and confusing decisions. As for branding, what branding; the brand that was seen from far and near was one: Confusion

All stakeholders contributed to this sorry state of affairs.

The government did not have the abilities to harness the energies and knowledge of the private sector, particularly MHRA, and to formulate a National Tourist Policy above sectoral interests and in the national interest.

The private sector, particularly MHRA, behaved as if it was the only stakeholder.

Though with honest goodwill, they tragically never made the transition from the micro to the macro scenario when wearing the hat of MTA on the MTA board.

Their basic inability to understand that MTA promotes but cannot sell was fatal to their vision of the tourist industry, Mr Farrugia added.

This resulted in the ill-fated DeLoitte and Touche report, drawn up by a “strategic group”. This report contains some of the silliest recommendations ever made in tourism reports for Malta, he added.

The government was naïve enough to endorse it and to do its best to implement it. Mission accomplished. As usual there was always the ready scapegoat, Romwald Lungaro Mifsud. There is always someone to blame.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Too many people are now forced to eat this porridge soup. Unfortunately too many people and too many investors are now fearful of their jobs and their investments. Many have already decided; they sold out. Others will follow if Dr Gonzi stares this one in the face as well.

The sorry tourism story is that the government gave up its responsibility to lead, and MHRA well and truly messed it up.

The only way forward is for the government to regain its responsibility of the national tourism policy, which should be above sectoral interests and in the national interest only.

This can only be done by a team of professionals and technocrats who do not have any investments in tourism and who report directly to the Prime Minister, the only office with an authority to impose and get everyone, including ministers, to act and implement (unless of course the FZD syndrome is such a grave malady with this government that it goes beyond FZD).

A team who is sufficiently knowledgeable and professionally prepared to enable them to act truly in the national interest without the petty sectoral ineptitudes that have dominated tourism management in Malta in the last years.

Francis Zammit Dimech’s major failure has been his inability to manage and accept the mess thrown at him by others. That’s a grave and unredeemable mistake for a holder of such an important economic portfolio, Mr Farrugia said. That’s why he no longer has a role to play at the ministry of tourism.