Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli has no option but to immediately resign, Partit Demokratiku said in a statement on Saturday.

The statement was published just after news broke out that EasyJet has cancelled all Malta-bound flights.

“Hospitality operators have shared with us their grave concerns about the impending fate of the industry, their investments and their employees and their families. The knock-on effect on the Maltese economy, which is intimately connected to the Tourism Industry, will be devastating if the long term downward spiral of visitor numbers continues.”

In the recent weeks Malta’s number of active cases has reached an all-time high, with several clusters related to parties and overcrowding events.

Partit Demokratiku highlight that due to the bad handling of the crisis, Malta’s tourism product is suffering and the reputation will be of “an irresponsible party island” which will affect to attract high spending quality tourism over quantity. The statement continues that Malta requires a management team with competent, experienced and qualified persons who can instil some form of stability for the industry.

“We endorse the overriding vision as clearly stated in the Ministry of Tourism’s National Tourism Policy 2015-2020 document which promotes, “controlled growth, which is achievable through the targeting of appropriate markets with the aim of achieving higher rates of economic returns and returns on investment.” The document also outlines its vision through 2030 with a realistic snapshot of the industry in 2014 and with a clear, achievable and sustainable set of policies and measures.”

The party highlight that the tourism operators must have confidence in the Tourism Ministry and Minister for renewed enthusiasm in the industry, and for there to be continued investment into their respective operations.

“We therefore appeal to the Prime Minister to do what is expected from him and appoint someone who can get the job done!”