Last Friday’s announcement that tourism figures for this summer are the best in six years was music to the ears.

The announcement, made by Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, served to confirm the tangible feeling of a much better tourist season this year. Hoteliers, the owners of other tourist-related establishments, the government and many others had already been murmuring that this was a very good summer. Dr Zammit Dimech cited the three main reasons for this year’s turnaround as being the introduction of low-cost carriers, the continuous flow of cultural events being organised in Malta and the government’s alliance with PR firm Mediaconsulta.

Dr Zammit Dimech also said that arrivals from the UK market had shot up by 11 per cent in the last three months and that the German market had grown by some 33 per cent.

This is all well and good, especially tied in with the fact that hoteliers have seen an increase in bed nights and are even having to turn down bookings. However, these very positive findings should not allow us to get ahead of ourselves. As we have said before, the bar has now been raised. This is the standard for which we should aim, and repeat, otherwise referral tourists will now be comparing everything to the summer of 2007 in Malta. In other words, we have to not only retain this standard, but improve it.

Next year’s work undoubtedly lies in improving the infrastructure. We left it far too late this year in respect of some of the infrastructural projects intended to boost tourism. We still have the shambles that are the ferry terminals in Cirkewwa and Mgarr – they should have been completed years ago, yet work is still stuck in a rut and languishing behind. In addition, some of the major road projects in tourist areas (or roads that service tourist destinations) were not completed until well into summer. We need to roll our sleeves up further and get a good and steady rhythm going. Let us also look at, for example, the bus route from Malta International Airport to Cirkewwa. It is an excellent idea – but why was it not introduced earlier – in April or May, for example? It is only a bus route, it should not have been halfway through the tourist season before it was implemented.

The same goes for the sea plane link. While we understand that this service is obviously a private one, the government needs to be more on the ball to get in their quick and strike such deals while the going is good. We are by no means saying that no work has been done. In fact, one can almost hear the cogs in motion as one walks past the Malta Tourism Authority nowadays (and not before time either!)

Now is also the time when we need to be looking at the shoulder months. And perhaps another suggestion here. We normally associate the autumn and winter months with elderly tourists coming to Malta for a milder climate. We need to snap out of that mindset. While they are welcome visitors, we also need to make sure that Malta is still a “happening” place in winter.

The authorities have already demonstrated that it is possible to attract big names to this country, whether it is music, theatre, DJs, re-enactments, dance or whatever. If we can maintain this trend in the winter months, we are sure that Malta can be the next “big thing” in the Mediterranean. Perhaps we have just spent too long in the doldrums, but we must now keep up the momentum. Summer 2007 is not enough – we need to keep up the same in 2008, 2009, 2010 and beyond. Good job, all.