Nearly four and a half years have already passed since Malta became a member of the European Union and, thankfully, the matter is no longer a political issue that divided the country in the run-up towards the 2003 referendum.
With the Malta Labour Party, having accepted the people’s decision, making it a point to work as closely as possible with the government to obtain the best out of Malta’s membership, only a few individuals remain adamant in their stand against the concept. And the consensus can only be of an advantage to the country’s aspirations.
Apart from the political side of what EU membership is all about, Malta is reaping the benefits from the financial point of view. This was – and is – a crucial aspect of Malta’s membership, as through these funds the country will be able to improve its infrastructure, such as the road network, invest in new ventures that would help make the country more attractive and rehabilitate areas of historical and cultural importance.
The news that Malta stands to receive millions of euros to utilise on various projects directly linked to the tourism industry is therefore most welcome.
On Tuesday, the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Mario de Marco, explained in great detail a series of initiatives that will be taken by the government over the next few years to upgrade the tourism product. The projects will be funded, in part or in full, by the European Union.
Several million euros will be spent in Qawra, and the projects include the construction of an aquarium similar to the majestic one in Barcelona, the founding of a marine archaeology museum, a diving institute and a multi-levelled promenade that will link the area between the St Paul’s Bay primary school all the way to Bugibba.
With the St Paul’s Bay area accommodating roughly 40 per cent of tourists staying in Malta, the initiatives will serve to make the area more attractive. Today, most tourists use St Paul’s Bay, Bugibba and Qawra only for accommodation; such projects will give them what to do if they are reluctant to get into a car for a day or two.
The other projects that are envisaged in the near future are the construction of a visitors’ centre and heritage park at Ggantija Temples in Gozo, a visitors’ centre at St Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat and a shelter for the Tarxien Temples. Added to this, some e32 million will be spent to restore the bastions of Cittadella, Valletta, Vittoriosa and Mdina.
It must be recalled that millions of euros have already been spent – or are being spent – on other projects connected with the tourism industry, such as the upgrading of Howard Gardens, the Greek Gate and the Domus Romana. Plans are also in hand for the conservation project at Mnajdra and Hagar Qim.
Money spent to make Malta a bigger attraction for tourists should be considered as an investment. Tourism is an industry that is volatile and matters can quickly change from one year to another, even from one season to another. And it is therefore imperative that this industry, one of the pillars of our economy, should continue to be protected and sustained.
This also means that initiatives such as those listed by Dr de Marco should quickly “move” from words to action. Too often in the past we have had the announcement that projects were in the pipeline, and then they take too long to materialise, if at all.
The secretariat for tourism, together with the Malta Tourism Authority, should do everything in its power to see that the announced projects will be implemented in the shortest time possible.