Gabriel Schembri

Addressing the Business Breakfast organised last Friday by the Malta Business Weekly and the Ministry for Tourism, Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis said that last year was a particularly good year for the tourism sector in Malta.

He said there already is an indication that this year will be another record year, as the latest statistics show that 855,000s tourists came to Malta in the first six months of this year.

He referred to the bureaucracy which employers in the tourism sector have to face and announced that he will be proposing a legislation reform which will be presented in Parliament to address these issues.

"A key objective in the coming weeks is to have a plan to improve Air Malta, to become more relevant in the future. We need an airline which induces profit and lowers cost," he added.

The minister announced that there are ongoing discussions with three airlines to include Malta in their route. This summer, Malta has already attracted three new airlines - Iberia Express, Czech Airlines and Volotea.

Dr Zammit Lewis also announced that a second company will home-port in Malta in the cruise liner business in the year 2017. A new Malta Cruise Network Forum will also be set up. 

Malta Tourism Authority Director Leslie Vella gave a detailed presentation of the tourism sector in Malta and how this compares to other destinations. Malta remains one of the strongest and most consistent destinations, with Portugal being the only country surpassing Malta.

He noted however that the gap between high season and low season is still high. 

MTA CEO Paul Bugeja said Malta has a better segmented approach towards the tourism sector. He said that Malta needs to communicate its message through an approach which reflects the changes in the market.

"We will continue to put Malta in the cultural and entertainment tourism map," he promised.

He spoke about employment in this sector and insisted that there needs to be very skill specific development in various segments of tourism. Mr Bugeja said although manpower increased at MTA, personnel must keep on increasing to keep up with all the demand. 

Corinthia Chairman and CEO Alfred Pisani said that in terms of looking forward, one must bear in mind the capacity as Malta cannot keep up with other countries' numbers such as France. What is really important is balance. "We must not go in one direction. Rather, we need a collective approach and appreciate the additional income we can achieve if we attract the high quality tourists."

MTA Chairman Gavin Gulia said there is still more room for growth, especially during the off peak season. "Room for growth means that there is room to improve the quality," he added. 

Andrew Aguis Muscat from MHRA said there are currently 18 applications for hotels in Gozo. He said Malta needs to offer an all-round destination to attract more tourists.

Managing Director of Standard Publications, Noel Azzopardi complained of the lack of cleanliness in the Sliema, St Julian's area and particularly highlighted the bring-in sites which litter the area even more.

Philip Fenech from GRTU said that success brings wear and tear and this is why the prime locations are "a little worn out". 

Joseph Galea, the new acting CEO for Air Malta explained that the developments in place for the national airline are perhaps the most important in the last years. "We are working with a view to form part of one of the largest airlines in the world," he added. "What we will do now is what we already did in the past. We cannot work on our own. The partnership will be solid."

Asked how Air Malta will be competing with the ever increasing airlines in Malta, Mr Galea said competition makes it tougher but in the airline industry competition was always there and it will always be present.

Hungarian MEP Istvan Ujhel, called for a strong European Tourism Network for EU countries to work together in the booming tourism sector.

MHRA President Tony Zahra said that Air Malta is important to Malta, and that is why all the decisions must not be taken abroad. "We have the experience; we have to let the Maltese takes the necessary decisions."

"You can't run an airline with so many people. We cannot spend so much money as if there's no tomorrow."