Tourism Minister Karmenu Vella said that diversity is a mix of ideas, traditions, languages, and lifestyles, distinguishing each and every one of us.
“Globalisation is leading to uniformity, therefore maintaining diversity is vital.”
He was speaking this morning during the Diversity in Tourism Festival being held at the Institute of Tourism Studies in Pembroke.
He said tourism has helped diversify our economy while tourism depended on diversity.
“One wouldn’t find scope in travelling abroad to find the same traditions, ideas, language,” Mr Vella said.
“There was a time when one viewed diversity as divisiveness, but the scenario has changed today; if we are ready to work with those who are different from us, we can emerge with new ideas, unlocking our potential.
“This is why we are celebrating diversity because we have come to realise that diversity has a lot of potential and this is why we are here today participating in the tourism diversity festival,” Mr Vella said.
Festival participants include 6th Form, Higher Secondary and University students, NGO’s and industry players.
The Malta Tourism Authority has recently taken on an EU project aimed at retaining and attracting people within tourism through diversity management to develop new jobs and ensure that the tourism sector and its supporting services have the right human resources required.
The aim of the three-day festival is to mainly lure students to pursue tourism-related careers.
Mario Zammit, head of academic studies at ITS, said that the institute doesn’t simply offer catering-related courses but a wide array of subjects including economics, language studies, among others.
He said that the tourism industry wasn’t limited to hotels and restaurants but also diving schools, tour guide agencies, destination management companies to mention but a few.
Mr Zammit highlighted that the institute assists students find their preferred choice of job once qualified, adding that students can opt to enhance their skills abroad through a six-month working experience.
“Can you imagine how a six-month working experience can benefit you, both professionally and personally, opening the doors to more work opportunities on your return?,” he asked, while pointing out that there have been instances where ITS graduates were asked to stay on board and decided not to return to Malta.
A number of stands have been set up by the Malta Tourism Authority, Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS), University of Malta (UOM), Institute of Hospitality (IOH), General Workers Union (GWU), Union Haddiema Maghqudin (UHM), and the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC).
Individuals working in the industry shared testimonials followed by questions fielded by the floor.