It is not very often that we praise Konrad Mizzi, whose name will for many years to come remain synonymous with the Panama Papers scandal.  But the popular minister is so far doing quite well in his new tourism portfolio.

Mizzi yesterday announced the introduction of town managers, who will be responsible for the upkeep of certain tourist areas. These managers will also be tasked with flagging irregularities, surveying noise and litter pollution and enforcing regulations in adult clubs.

That last one may prove tricky seeing that these clubs are not properly regulated and that the laws governing them are quite unclear. It is also a daunting task seeing that the police have largely failed in this regard.

But the concept behind these town managers is an innovative one that should have been thought of long ago in a country whose economy depends so greatly on tourism.

Tourists have always flocked to these islands for our crystal clear waters, our culture and our history, but complaints have been flooding in of late, about the general lack of upkeep and cleanliness in the main tourist hotspots. Foreigners and Maltese alike are irritated by the constant construction in popular areas, the lack of proper waste collection systems in others and the general parking problem.

It is unlikely that these problems will just disappear when these managers are appointed but at least this is a good start. Enforcement is, generally speaking quite lax in this country and any extra help the authorities can get is always welcome.

But Minister Mizzi should also be commended on his efforts at Air Malta, the ailing national airline that still finds itself in serious trouble. One of the first decisions taken under his watch was the reintroduction of the popular Frankfurt route. Flights to this important European aviation hub had been cut in late 2016, in what was widely regarded as an absurd and senseless decision.

The airline has also recently reintroduced flights to Tunis, which have proved to be very popular and, in keeping with this growth strategy, the company will be increasing its aircraft fleet.

So far the minister seems to be reversing bad decisions that were taken during the previous legislature – the same period when the ill-fated Alitalia deal was devised. One would hope that this progress is not marred by new clashes between the airline management and its pilots, who are demanding higher salaries.

Changing subject again, Mizzi has also indicated that there will be no tolerance for illegalities when it comes to beach encroachment and illegal deckchairs and umbrellas. While his predecessor had acted swiftly after this newspaper revealed the racket on Comino, Konrad Mizzi has taken an even harder and more widespread approach, as one Fra Ben kiosk operator found out last week. The operator, who defied the law, had his establishment shut down with immediate effect and was slapped with a hefty €5,000 fine.

MTA and Lands Authority people also swooped on popular beaches and confiscated many truckloads of illegal beach furniture.

Konrad Mizzi will probably always have the Panama Papers cloud hanging above his head, and by giving him a positive appraisal for his work as tourism minister we are not condoning, or forgetting that he opened up a secret company in Panama with the promise of depositing $1 million a year, but we acknowledge that, under his watch, this important sector seems to be heading in the right direction.