In his Sunday discussion with various stakeholders, Prime Minister Robert Abela remarked that Malta cannot afford another summer without tourism, putting a huge emphasis on the fact that we need to attract quality tourists in a sustainable manner, without putting the safety of the general public at risk.

I couldn’t agree more, quality is the way forward.

Being effective on quality as individuals and organisations is no longer optional in today’s world. Actually, it’s the price of entry in an ever changing playing field. Surviving, thriving, innovating, excelling and leading in this new reality will require us to build on and reach beyond effectiveness.

Quality is not about adding one more component to the industry and forgetting traditional roots, it is about seeing and harnessing the power of a second dimension of our diversified vision in making Malta a home of tourism excellence in this age of acceleration.

Through this, we have quality products, services, sustainability, social and environmental awareness, visitor satisfaction, host-population support, improved economic returns and a more attractive employer for motivated professionals. All this is meant to revitalize the tourism industry so as to future-proof it in a way which ensures that it continues to contribute to Malta’s socio-economic development as an advanced European economy.

The Malta’s Tourism Strategy for 2021 up until 2030 is based on three fundamental pillars. Recovering. Rethinking. Revitalising.

In the past weeks we launched a €20 million recovery programme to restart tourism by continuing to support our people. We are re-establishing airline connectivity and re-launching in our source markets as they reopen.

Most of all, we are undertaking a rethinking process in terms of where we want tourism to go, so that it strongly embraces these principles all under one umbrella… that of quality.

In the recovery stage, a balance should be kept between volumes needed to keep operations feasible, and revenues to make them sustainable. Moreover, the strategy to move towards higher quality visitors is a medium to long term transformation. It will not happen overnight and it must be built on sustainable foundations, this is not just a question of changing ones marketing strategy or targeting a higher-spending demographic. It requires a holistic approach that takes into account the current product, the needs and wants of the clientele one wishes to attract, and gradually move towards the desired levels of quality in all aspects.

This will take time, but we are already seeing improvements in some areas. Quality has to be a goal across the board. We must have quality in our 2 and 3 star properties, in our holiday flats, farmhouses and villas, and in our tours and attractions. We need to mirror ourselves as a courageous, innovative and forward-looking industry, that does not shy away from change.

We need to take stock of what we did over the past years, and rebuild stronger foundations to make it more sustainable in the years to come.

Clayton Bartolo is the Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection