In recent years, investment in sport has increased considerably. Suffice it to say that last year we invested in no fewer than 16 new turf pitches and will soon be opening a new indoor sports complex and issuing calls for new projects. Nevertheless, this same success will be presenting us with a new major challenge: the issue of the sustainability of sport will, in the years to come, become increasingly important.

Further awareness will hopefully lead to an increase in participation, while further participation will in many cases necessitate more facilities. More and better facilities will, in turn, not only require greater maintenance and redevelopment after a number of years of use, but also more professional management. All this will make the almost total reliance on voluntary work and dependence on financial assistance from the government simply not enough. Private investment and public-private partnerships are the way forward if we are to make any further progress in sport.

To safeguard the sustainability of sport we have to create an economy around sporting activity – a legitimate economic activity that will not tamper with its values but will rather assist it to grow. An economic dimension will definitely allow sport to be seen from a different perspective and give it a more favourable position with economic planners. The more sport contributes to the economy, the greater its relevance and hence the stronger the attraction for further investment.

Sports tourism is an economic activity that is beneficial to both the sustainability of sports and the economy in general. To this end, and at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg, I was honoured to address more than 100 consuls, representing Malta across the world. The meeting, held in late June, was a golden opportunity to promote Malta as an ideal destination for sports tourism.

We are endeavouring to create a sport-tourism niche and are encouraged by the great success registered in other fields. More than 50,000 divers came to Malta last year to enjoy our clear water. The number of divers visiting Malta has been hovering at around that figure for a number of years. Malta has also built a strong reputation as an ideal centre for those who want to learn English as a second language, and the sector continues to flourish.

Two years ago, we introduced a scheme whereby not-for-profit sport clubs were encouraged to invite foreign counterparts to participate in training camps, competitions and conferences. Clubs are encouraged by being paid a commission based on the number of bed-nights. As we treat Gozo as a region, we have created a scheme that is specific to our sister island’s needs.

In 2009, 22 voluntary not-for-profit sports organisations hosted 35 activities and attracted to Malta 22,000 bed-nights while injecting around €1.2m into our economy. Last year, in the second year of the Malta Sports Council (KMS) assistance scheme, 36 clubs participated in the scheme, organised 83 different activities and brought to Malta an additional 41,000 bed-nights and a further €2.2m to our economy. The numbers for the third edition of the scheme issued for this year look even better than the previous years. Considering that, as yet, only 50 of the 350 sports associations registered with the KMS have participated in the scheme, the untapped potential is not only evidently larger, but also there for the taking. It will take time, it will require an aggressive strategy and it will need the participation of the private sector, but it will definitely become an important niche market if we pursue it diligently.

All things considered – our climate, especially in winter, our traditional hospitality, our ability to communicate in the English language and our sports facilities, even if we definitely need more – Malta is an attractive destination for sports and is ripe for further development of this niche market. The crystal clear water of our national pool was good enough for the British National Synchronised Swimming Team and a number of foreign swimming and water polo teams, while our football pitches were good enough for top football clubs such as Juventus, Milan, Parma and Triestina. Just this week, we have played host to Sheffield United. However, it is not only the big names or even the most popular local sports that attracted bed-nights to Malta. For example, last summer cricket managed to attract 3,000 bed-nights, snooker attracted another 5,000 and judo added 7,000 through junior competitions, seminars and even a Judo-English school for foreigners. The rest of the other 50 clubs and associations participating in the KMS scheme also made a most useful contribution.

Tourism remains our major industry and sports tourism could contribute towards its growth, but this is just one example of how we can incentivise economic activity around sport. This will contribute to the larger picture and can create new jobs, while contributing to the sustainability of sport itself.