The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) said it is pleased to note the Prime Minister’s communication of the new wave of measures to mitigate the economic crises being caused by the COVID 19 global pandemic and believes that these will help the tourism and hospitality sector weather the storm.
It was reacting to the set of measures announced by Prime Minister Robert Abela aimed to tackle the negative impact of Coronavirus on the economy.
This follows continuous and persistent representation from MHRA that the grant of €320 towards the cost of wages was simply not enough and had to be reviewed significantly upwards. MHRA President Tony Zahra asserted that: “We are satisfied that our calls to Government for review have been heard by Government and that was ready to go back to the drawing board with us to ensure the welfare of the economy.” The announced measures are the result of long hours of mediation and lobbying with all stakeholders and above all a sense of goodwill by all parties involved.
Zahra states that, “In such telling times we all must be united and use our collective knowledge, experience and efforts towards one common enemy, called COVID 19. What we are living today is an extraordinary situation but must keep in mind that is a temporary one which definitely will leave a sour mark on all of us but there is future to look forward at which gradually will bring us back to the prosperous years which we have been used to for the past years.”
On behalf of MHRA, Zahra expressed gratitude to the work and dedication shown during the past days to Prime Minister Robert Abela, his advisors, Minister of Tourism and Consumer Protection Julia Farrugia Portelli, officials at the Ministry of Tourism and the Malta Tourism Authority and all MCESD social partners.
MHRA President Tony Zahra also said that, “This is not the end yet, and definitely there will be more challenges to face in the coming days and months, however we are confident that an investment in our tourism industry today will definitely reap fruit when the time comes to relaunch our economy.”