Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said the government’s proposals on tourism were not meant to attract votes because of the election, but to continue building on the success they were achieving in the industry.

In 2007, he said, a record number of tourists had come to Malta, an increase of 120,000 over 2006; half a million tourists had also come on cruise liners; and Malta International Airport had catered to three million passengers.

These achievements were the result of hard work by the government and those involved in the industry, based on the policy of incentives for low cost carriers, more promotion, the organisation of musical and cultural events and investments in various infrastructural projects.

Dr Zammit Dimech said the government had reduced VAT to five per cent for hotels, and was proposing to extend this to restaurants. Various measures had been taken which helped families hosting students here to learn English, and now it was proposing to reduce e3,500 from the taxable income of host families.

The government was also proposing to make it easier to issue visas to students wanting to learn English in Malta, and there were also other proposals to help tourism, such as by helping Air Malta.