Fragile though it sometimes is, tourism has steadily grown into one of the pillars of the Maltese economy. It is to the credit of each and every person on these islands that we have a tourism industry that, all along, has defied the odds.

The restricted size, the lack of resources, the limited countryside, and the overpopulation have not inhibited the national effort to turn the island’s undoubted attributes – environmental, cultural and historical – into major tourist attractions.

It is a success story that stretches back over a span of several decades during which different administrations and generations of entrepreneurs teamed up to produce the results that we have been enjoying for many years, give and take the odd hiccup caused by international and regional developments. It is an ace card that we rightly and proudly display on the table at a time when rivals in the sector have been faltering or restructuring, but it is not a magic wand.

Malta’s tourism success is a reality that can turn into a mirage overnight if we are not careful. The first real endeavours in the sector took place in the late 50s under the Dom Mintoff’s first administration (1955-58) that unfortunately had to stand down as a result of the political and economic turmoil of the time. But the first seeds had been sown.

With the return to parliamentary rule four years later, tourism got its first major injection under the George Borg Olivier administrations of the middle and late 60s when Malta started having her own top-class hotels and tourism operators to meet the challenges of a new, mobile generation of package-tour visitors. The rest is history, with tourism gradually making up for the loss to the national coffers following the closure of the British military base in 1979.

Set against this incredible background, it was my pleasure last week to pay an official visit to the Malta Business Bureau where I had the opportunity to share my thoughts and aspirations with those directly involved with the tourism sector, people who have invested heavily and continue to invest in it, convinced that with the right approach and the backing of the new Labour administration of Joseph Muscat we can still achieve a lot more together.

My visit also served the purpose of discussing with the Malta Business Bureau my work inside the European Parliament, particularly within the Tourism and Transport Committee of that same institution. Tourism is a two-way traffic, hence we also have to make sure that when the Maltese travel as tourists themselves, they enjoy the same rights and conditions and can utilize to the full the new rules and regulations that are regularly being updated for the benefit of all European Union travellers.

Our tourism stakeholders have an important role to play in all of this major transformation, as do the many workers they employ. The industry is as strong as its main actors, which is why the dialogue established with the Malta Business Bureau and other important organisations in the same sector is so important. We have reached the stage were careful planning and further investments need to be backed by new enterprises, new ventures and new strategies. Success breeds success, but only if the national effort is coordinated and wide enough to allow non-risk initiatives and to instigate greater awareness of the need to use the ace card as carefully and as wisely as possible in a world that continues to suffer from serious economic and political ills.

As a member of the European Union, Malta strictly abides by the tourism and travel rules of the day, but it has shown it can be a leader and an innovator, ready and willing to face new challenges while safeguarding all that has been achieved thanks mainly to the Maltese people’s own efforts and dedication over the past six decades.

Tourism will also always be a volatile industry. This sector of the national economy has proved itself to be resilient. The concerted effort that we – government, MEPs, stakeholders and employees – are committed to augurs well for the future.

Mr Cuschieri heads the Labour Party delegation in the European Parliament