In my last article, I wrote about the present study on carrying capacity that resulted in a toursim forecast that was 12 times the local resident population; the study should also have included a schedule of how the expected number of visitors might factor in the case of infrastructure, social, economic or cultural issues but there was one point I did not mention here – the study was commissioned by an NGO that supports growth rather than building better and the outcome needed to indicate a quantitative rather than a qualitative result.
The quantitative result will put these islands in dire straits when it comes to sustainable development and an acceptable quality of life for the local community. We need to look now at managing the challenges of restoring visitor confidence and the professional aspect of careers rather than jobs for the tourism activity in the destination if we are serious about saving the reputation and perception of the islands.
I tend to walk a lot and walking shows one the situation on the ground – the problems with littering, the result of mismanaged projects that take months, if not years, to complete and the behaviour and attitude of the host community – the lack of hospitality, service and civic pride.
This is no way to attract visitors to a destination; we cannot expect to build a long-term reputation that will encourage visitors to come back again and again and doing a disservice such as overcharging, not giving attention to the value added experience and being brusque and unhospitable with the visitor will certainly drive that visitor away from the destination but more likely it will drive away others with whom that visitor talks.
If we want to take on the challenge of restoring confidence in the destination this does not come just by spending thousands and millions of euros on PR and advertising. This will come if we all take on the responsibility of doing our bit in acting with a civic sense of duty, taking ownership of the management of tourism.
Neither does it come by preparing glossy publications packed with wishlists and promises that we have no intention of following, neither will it be achieved by simply giving a rye smile that has no sense or feeling. It will only come when we accept tourism as an activity that will succeed if we ensure three qualities (that I have spoken of numerous times in the past) – commitment, trust and synergy.
The commitment to meet the challenges and turn tourism into a quality host-visitor activity; the trust that all the key stakeholders must work together; not in seperate bubbles and the synergy to develop the integrated approach to tourism that is effective and succesful.
Recommendations and Summary
1. Let us build a community spirit by developing the guidelines for stewardship together, I invite all those interested to contact me.
2. We should identify areas where we can regenerate local tourism for the quality visitor.
3. Recognise our duty as communities to enhance our environment and care for the precious trees that will add value to our moral, ethical and physical quality of life.
4. Those NGOs and persons (including local councils) interested in working with me on this project should email me on [email protected] or call me on 9916 7805.
5. Let us get going – let us really build better and reverse the horrendous state of this island.
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