I refer to the editorial piece “An Atrophic Death” (TMID, 17 January), as well as to the article “A ‘record’ 13 hotels in north of Malta shutting down for business this winter” (TMIS, 16 January).
The editorial piece in question gives the impression that the St Paul’s Bay/Bugibba/Qawra areas are being left to their own devices by all and sundry, with little or no work being carried out to maintain or embellish the area. The facts, however, tell a different story and, insofar as the Malta Tourism Authority is concerned, a wide array of initiatives have been undertaken, and continue to be undertaken, in an effort to improve overall conditions in the locality. These include:
The creation, maintenance and management of the Bugibba perched beach, which in 2010 attained Blue Flag status.
Improved accessibility all round at Qawra point - Works carried out last year.
The introduction of holistic beach management at Qawra point, including lifeguards, supervisors etc.
The St Paul’s Bay project, involving the overall upgrading of the promedade, including the creation of a belvedere, from Gillieru to the SPB primary school - Works have just commenced.
The Qawra point project, with works expected to start in the near future, including the Aquarium attraction and visitors’ centre, and overall embellishment of the entire promenade area, as well as landscaping. The Aquarium promises to be a much sought after attraction, attracting people to the area all year round and not just in high season.
Moreover, in recent years, the MTA has considerably stepped up its Quality Assurance inspections and visits in the area, especially where the Timeshare OPCs were concerned, as well as supporting a number of events and initiatives in the area.
Other areas have also been addressed by other entities. Central government has thus far committed hundreds of thousands of Euro towards roadworks in the area, whilst the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs is continuously upgrading and maintaining pavements in the locality.The MRRA has also completed the upgrading and afforestation project at Salini, in the Kennedy Grove area, and will also be embarking upon the Salini project, including extensive restoration works and embellishment of the whole area.
It is an undeniable fact, however, that in more recent years, the St Paul’s Bay / Bugibba area is experiencing seasonality factors more strongly than in previous years. This is possibly due to the fact that for a long period of time the area’s hospitality industry catered almost exclusively for tour operator trade, whereas over the last few years tour operator traffic has decreased considerably with direct business increasing exponentially. Another factor that may influence the area’s popularity or otherwise is the fact that a large number of establishments had gone by for many years without refurbishment or upgrades. This is being remedied of late, especially with the introduction of interest-subsidy schemes that Government has made available to hotels, for refurbishment and upgrading purposes.
This also relates to the article carried in TMIS, in connection with the temporary closure of northern area hotels in the winter. Although the article gave the impression that a ‘record’ number of establishments were to close for the winter, the facts reveal that bedstock levels in the area temporarily unavailable in the winter are at the same levels as previous years. Reasons for these temporary closures are various, ranging from refurbishment and maintenance to short shut-downs which enable the whole staff complement of the establishment to take vacation leave simultaneously, to ‘rest periods’ wherein it is more viable for an establishment to close for a few weeks rather than cater for a vary small number of clients in the nadir of the shoulder months.
Notwithstanding the ever-present seasonality factors, though, the MTA and all the stakeholders in the Tourism sector have been doing their utmost to reduce the negative aspects of seasonality by promoting the islands aggressively in the off peak periods. An example of this is the month of October 2010, definitely not considered to be a peak month for tourism, the figures for which show that that particular month surpassed the figures for July 2008! - Till recently considered to be the record year for tourism.
■ Kevin J Drake
Director
Communications & PR
Malta Tourism Authority
Valletta
MALTA