Tourism planning in Malta and Gozo has always been a "top-down" process;  in 1925 when the Malta Tourism Committee was first set up in April by the official decree of the Senate, this was a decision taken by politicians and a few well-chosen businessmen (yes, the gender specification was rampant at this age).  After the Second World War, the Tourism Bureau took over the management of tourism as an economic industry and this was again controlled by the colonial government. In 1958, it was another colonial government (civil government was suspended following the protests and turmoil following the integration question when the Malta Labour Party took the streets with anti-British skirmishes) that set up the Malta Government Tourism Board (MGTB). This was the start of the new tourism industry focusing on the summer holiday rather than the winter break of the pre war era. 

The MGTB together with the new civil government of 1963, led by the Nationalist Party commissioned the Italconsult report through the United Nations. This could be said to be the first 10-year plan based on sustainability (some 30 years before the Bruntland Commission) and planning. The Italconsult report helped develop the new Malta in terms of better accommodation, new investments such as Hilton and Sheraton; the aids to the Industry scheme and the new infrastructure including the "regional road" network and the "building boom". 

Tourism was growing between 1967 and 1977 but the growth was not proportionate to the resources available nor was it in line with the carrying capacity. A Labour government in 1971 proposed and implemented the "mass markets" based on tour operators and back-to-back bookings.  The island was heading for disaster - Bugibba and Qawra had become tourist ghettoes or enclaves filled with substandard accommodation and tacky restaurants and bars; tourists came here because of two factors, price and availability, and irrespective of Malta's cultural and historical attractiveness.

After 1987 the tourism bubble burst and we suffered from serious issues of waste management, energy distribution, water shortages and a wrecked infrastructure. The new government in 1987 led by the Nationalist Party embarked on a strategy of investment in waste management processes, energy power stations, water reverse osmosis plants and infrastructural planning. Once again we started to experience development plans and the first National Tourism Plan of 2007 (a five-year plan based on sustainable growth and development); this was followed by another plan in 2012 (although the 2007 plan lacked a complete implementation plan since there was no clear communication of the plan with internal and external stakeholders). The new government led by the Labour Party in 2013 decided on a new plan for tourism (although the 2012 plan was still in session) and this highlighted the problem with planning - a short-term action led by politicians and businesspersons who were only interested in satisfying their own ego.

At last we may have the beginning of a medium- to long-term strategy but it seems the document must still be orchestrated by the politician and the businessperson. Somehow we must persuade these people that the integrated approach involving all key stakeholders including the local community can work better.

Next time I will continue my analysis by taking a look at the follow-up to the last strategy of 2015 and the present situation with Covid. I will ask the obvious question. When will it be safe and responsible to reopen tourism and how? I invite all readers to download this strategy and follow the analysis with me, comment and let us work together on achieving a real integrated tourism policy - after all we all deserve a sustainable, responsible and better quality of tourism for these islands and we are one of the key stakeholders in this activity.

Dr Julian Zarb is a researcher, local tourism planning consultant and a visiting senior lecturer at the University of Malta. He has also been appointed as an expert for the High Streets Task Force in the UK. His main area of research is community-based tourism and local tourism planning using the integrated approach.