It has seven different restaurants, the largest hotel pool in Malta surrounded by open spaces equivalent to almost one and a half football pitches, and its gardens are the size of almost two football pitches, all planted with indigenous Maltese trees.

This is the brand new Seabank Resort & Spa that was born on Thursday. And it is not by chance that I use the childbirth metaphor. Just over eight months have elapsed between this resort’s conception and its birth.

I bought the Seabank when it was a guest house. Gradually, we increased its size and then developed it into a popular hotel with a high rate of repeat visitors.

But in tourism you cannot rest when you’ve found your feet. You have to keep an eagle eye on what begins to appear on the horizon. And on that horizon we saw new concepts, not tweaking of what we already had.

With this realisation, together we created an all inclusive resort & spa in every sense of the word. The Seabank now is not a bigger hotel. It is a completely different one.

The all-inclusive concept is designed for certain types of tourists, namely couples and families looking for a hassle-free holiday. They want everything at hand and a choice in whatever takes their fancy, for themselves and for their children of different ages. Above all, they do not wish to put their hand in their pocket again after they arrive. When we promised a unique resort & spa for a unique holiday, we meant it.

Regarding the new concept, I wish to emphasise two points. First, when we say that the Seabank Resort & Spa is all inclusive, we mean all inclusive. Not almost, but all inclusive. Secondly, tourists and Maltese patrons will find quality in all the services we deliver and they will not pay another euro from the moment they arrive till they leave.

It is for these two reasons that we are saying two things with conviction: All inclusive. All quality.

The challenge we set ourselves was not just to radically change the concept but also to do so quickly. It was the only way we could reopen our doors in the shortest time possible and thereby keep all our staff with us.

Every day, over the eight months, we had between 700-1000 people working on this site. There were 3,000 more working in factories and offices to supply us with materials, finishings and services.

Nothing about this project came easy. For instance, the stormy winter forced us to stop work on it entirely for 26 working days. Neither was it easy for us to decide to invest €32 million on the edge of the beautiful Mellieha bay in the midst of a fierce financial storm raging in Europe. But again, we were not disheartened. Because I always believed in the potential of our staff and management. And above all, I always believed in this country.

So far, our efforts and risks seem to be paying off. Today, the Seabank Resort & Spa is already full to capacity. This means that we have the pleasure of hosting 1,400 people, tourists and Maltese, in our 455 rooms.

This wonderful adventure has proved one other thing. Once again it has shown that when the private sector drives the economy and endeavours to work with the government and the public sector, we can make a success out of all that we set our minds to.

Our voyage will not end here. We shall continue to work hard so that the levels of excellence we achieved in the building and finishing will continue to be reflected in the services we offer.

There is one thing we will never forget: the smile on the tourist’s face on the way to the airport is the only guarantee of our livelihoods.

Mr Debono is the chairman of the Seabank Group