There was a time when the approaching summer brought with it an open debate on the tourism industry – and this was because in those years Malta relied heavily on the number of tourists who visited the islands between May and October, and how much they spent here.

Nowadays, Malta is no longer a summer destination, as the marketing campaigns that have been held over a good number of years have promoted the country as being attractive during the shoulder and winter months too – for its rich history and culture, among other things. Summer still remains the most important time for the tourism industry, but arrivals have increased in the other months too.

During 2007, the tourism industry picked up considerably after a rather long period of downfall. It was rather preoccupying to see that whereas other destinations – in particular direct competitors in the Mediterranean – had turned the corner after the period of distress following the 11 September 2001 disaster, while Malta lagged behind.

It took us quite some time to change our strategy, and this could have cost us dearly. But, in the end, some decisions were taken to put Malta back on the map. One of them was the opening of our airport to low-cost airlines which have, no doubt, had a very positive impact over the past months.

This led to unprecedented growth in the tourism industry during the past year, and matters seem healthy for this year as well.

Hoteliers are no longer grumbling – as they had every right to do, given the circumstances pre-2007 – and this is already a clear indication that the tourism industry is doing well.

Still, more needs to be done in a sector that is highly volatile and fragile to keep the numbers growing – and this, not only in terms of people choosing Malta for their holidays or business conferences, but also in terms of the money they spend here. After all, it is what tourists leave behind that helps the economy.

This issue, in fact, was the main bone of contention when the advent of low cost carriers was being debated – there were people who thought that users of low-cost airlines were low-budget tourists, when this is not the case. People prefer to spend less money on their flights to be able to spend more at their destination.

One important factor that needs to be taken into consideration, by the authorities – and this includes the government, the Malta Tourism Authority and all the stakeholders – is that although, as said before, Malta does not rely solely on the summer season, it is during these warmer months that the highest number of foreign students come here to learn English.

This important segment of the industry must be nurtured, but at the same time it should not be allowed to create problems for other sectors of the same industry. For example, in the past there were many complaints that foreign students were spoiling the holiday of other tourists staying in the same hotel.

The right balance has to be found. One understands that the younger generations tend to be more boisterous and rowdy while on holiday, but this should not impinge on other people who would like to enjoy a quiet holiday.

Schools providing lessons in English should be made more responsible for the behaviour of their students, not just during the hours they are in class but throughout their holiday.

We cannot allow for a situation where one segment of an industry goes against another, as this will prove to be a detriment. If word gets around that in Malta tourists cannot have a tranquil holiday because of foreign students, then it will be hard for us to get back on track.

Today, there are so many destinations to choose from, all it takes is one letter to a newspaper to push people to change their mind.