In my last article, I wrote about the importance of hospitality and service as important qualities for tourism, I am still not convinced that these islands can attract the tourist who WANTS to be here, the quality tourist. We may have to put up with the Eastenders cast as tourists for some time now until we learn that to attract the quality tourist we need to be responsible, we must manage tourism professionally, we cannot keep treating these islands as some playground for the unethical and irresponsible developer. Tourism, I once read, is like a fire it can cook your food or it can burn your house done - at the moment it seems to be setting the sparks for an almighty burnout!

Last week I was back in the UK for a short break, enjoying the celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. I enjoyed the countryside in the Cotwolds and Oxfordshire, the heritage of Oxford City and Windsor. I could not help comparing that experience with the poor image you are projecting to visitors on these islands. Building hideous blocks of concrete, rebuilding new roads for no apparent reason (and causing detours that are, in turn, creating traffic, pollution and mayhem), managing an industry that is long past its best before date and ignoring the principles of sustainability and care in developing tourism. But what irks me the most about these islands is the total lack of civic responsibility by most of the people (including those who should show authority and responsibility), the arrogance and agressiveness of people here and the lack of any civic pride. How can you ever dream of attracting the quality tourist with that sort of scenario? You have ruined the islands over the past nine years with this lack of care, you have promoted quantity over quality and you are heading for a destination that will only be accessible as a third or fourth choice by the tourist who is looking for a low cost, low quality experience.

I would suggest that you start working now at adding value to the visitor experience in terms of the culture, heritage and history. Forget the useless and tacky events such as the horrendous Lost and Found or even the now well-used Isle of MTV; think about original events that create that quality experience for the culturally rich tourist instead of the "bucket and spade Yob". You need to go for quality not numbers and the measurement must be checked through the feedback and the percentage of returners not by the growth in numbers - better to host half the amount of visitors than the millions that leave little profit and add to the sustainable issues that are ruining these islands.

Civic pride needs to come from you - the host community. You need to ensure that every town and village, every part of the countryside and every street is pristine, where the developments that are alien to the local character and culture are redesigned and where your behaviour is not aggresive and arrogant but projects real hospitality and service. If you ignore this practical solution you may lose the normal tourist and you will certainly lose the quality visitor.

Recommendations and Summary

1.     Develop a strong sense of civic pride in your behaviour

2.     Do not accept the destruction of your character, culture and heritage by uncouth and uncivil developers

3.     Take action against any unethical and uncouth behaviour

4.     Quality tourism will not just happen, you need to work for it

I sometimes wonder - am I writing for the converted? Are there any other persons who agree or disagree with me? I frequently meet people who read these articles - but these articles are not just there to be read on a lazy Sunday afternoon, they are there to sow the seeds of change from apathy to commitment - to make tourism an activity we can be proud of. Let me know what you think and how you feel about tourism.

Dr Julian Zarb is a researcher, local tourism planning consultant and an Academic 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