The National Tourism Plan is due to expire by the end of this year so that, I imagine, the powers that be would now be preparing to release the new plan for the next couple of years

From the perspective of incoming tourism, tourist numbers have been generally very good since the great recession of 2009, but there is concern among industry players that the short to medium future presents some very stiff challenges. A new recession is already rearing its ugly head while Air Malta and Ryanair keep mulling on the routes they wish to fly, in the meantime keeping everybody guessing on how they will be re-dimensioning their roles in winter and next summer, and what impact their decisions will have on seat capacity.

These are pleasures yet to come for the Ministry for Tourism as well as for the MTA, although, of course, there is nothing pleasurable at all when it comes to drafting a tourism plan with so many uncertainties hanging like Damocles swords over the industry.

There are matters that are within our competence to prevent, to improve or refine, others unfortunately less so and beyond our control.

An area that is definitely within our domain and which I expect the tourism plan to tackle aggressively is the service quality issue which I consider to be a critical determinant of our competitiveness. The idea is as elementary as it is indispensable and is meant to encourage tourism service providers to provide a proper service. It is only through the provision of a professional service combined with a hospitable attitude that we can positively contribute to our competitive advantage.

The Plan should provide the opportunity for the private sector to understand how innovation can be applied to tourism. Educational services should target specific audiences in tourism so that projects will then be initiated towards the development of practices that can become mainstream actions. The Plan should drive and promote quality of service across the board of all tourism service providers.

The National Tourism Plan should provide the right tools to be able to undertake in-depth evaluation of present and past training initiatives, to assess the effectiveness of such initiatives, in terms of improved service delivery, and to introduce a synergized programme of courses revised in the light of changing needs and new market trends and the current levels and standards of service offered by employees in the industry.

Through EU funding schemes, money can be channeled into the development of training programmes to be implemented for the provision of a better service by tourism front liners and support services. This will go a long way to help undertake new initiatives aimed at providing training opportunities to personnel already working in the industry and to those who may wish to work in the industry.

Continuous information dissemination on careers in the industry amongst students should highlight the fact that offering a service is not about being submissive. An area that needs specific targeting in this respect is the ITS where prospective candidates for waitering services, for instance, should be encouraged to take on these jobs with fondness and satisfaction. Unfortunately prospective candidates for employment in the hospitality industry frown at these situations vacant, leaving large pockets to be filled by third country nationals with little if any knowledge and skills.

One should also emphasize the fact that a career in the industry can be a source of gainful and rewarding employment. A tourism plan that is geared on harnessing competitiveness should conduct mystery guest analysis to assess the level of service being provided by the tourism service providers and should encourage and provide opportunities for tourism service providers to move into quality assurance and seek certification. Taking on this challenge will set quality standards for tourism service providers which focus on the intangible aspect of service. This will further enhance the current classification system.

Ultimately the plan should acknowledge and reward the hard work and dedication demonstrated by workers in contact with tourists through initiatives such as the STAR scheme.

I am looking forward to the next National Tourism Plan to set the ball rolling. It will be a pleasure to be given the opportunity to contribute.

Dr Gulia is the Opposition’s Main Spokesman on Tourism and Air Malta