After I outlined the basic requirements for a more hospitable and service-oriented tourism activity two weeks ago,  I was rather shocked not to see any significant sign or reference to tourism in the budget speech, two lines, one of which concerned transportation and another for an initiative that has already been introduced and should be functioning .  The focus was rather on satisfying the daily needs of the community but included little to no reference to how these islands can invest in the regeneration of tourism based on quality, sustainability and responsibility.   In fact, as I have said, there was no reference to tourism in the Budget.

This brings me to the questions: Are we serious about tourism today? Do we really want to make this a better destination? Are we still taking tourism for granted?  Basically, I must ask: “Quo Vadis tourism?”

It really seems as if government and the authorities have taken this activity for granted and we think it will bounce back to the pre-2019 figures over the next few months. If that is the case then I must say that these people do not know anything about tourism. We need to manage tourism professionally, we need to look at the activity honestly and critically; this is not something based on quantitative measures alone, it needs a process of management that will measure the qualitative aspects – the impact on the community and social factors, the carrying capacity that should indicate the resources needed for an enhanced and qualitative destination and the attitude towards hospitality and service.

The very fact that no mention was made about tourism in this year’s Budget does not augur well since most of the investment and initiatives should be driven by the local authorities as well as the businesses. What message are we sending to our young school-leavers today about tourism? Are we really encouraging them to take up tourism as a career? I remember the times when, as Chair of the then Hotel and Catering International Management Association (HCIMA), today the Institute of Hospitality, we had organised a number of roving exhibitions together with the Institute for Tourism Studies in secondary schools to encourage school-leavers to take up a career in tourism and for a long time this worked. We need to push these initiatives again and together with the two tourism institutions at University and ITS, we need to show that tourism is not just about doing a menial job but it is about creating new ideas, innovation, markets and experiences.

We need to invest in our people again and eventually invest in their continuous professional development. 

I really thought it was time now to make the strategy that considered the three Rs for tourism recovery work through investment and incentives expressed in this Budget.   It seems I remain deeply disappointed for now. Let us hope that this attitude towards tourism today will change in the not-too-distant future.

 

Recommendations for a better tourism profession and activity:

• Government and the authorities need to encourage entrepreneurs to look for quality in service and hospitality
• We should invest in professional development at the Institute for Travel, Tourism and Culture at the University, the Institute for Tourism Studies and any other recognised educational institution
• School-leavers need to experience and listen to the practitioners speak about the commitment and vocation needed to work in a tourism career
• Tourism needs to be managed; it cannot just be left to its own devizes and measured in terms of the quantitative aspects, it needs to be measured in terms of those qualitative aspects that guarantee a better life for the community and a solid career for those choosing it as a career
• Finally, we should adopt the integrated approach to tourism planning if we want to build a consistent, sustainable, responsible tourism 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