This week the news was, focused on the stories of meritocracy and sharing out public funds with close partners working in tourism. You know this sort of behaviour may have been acceptable if the money were spent in a positive way and the tourism plan actually worked. But once again we witnessed the extreme chaos of a badly organized event called Sigma (translated as: Greek 18th letter or summation) that has resulted in the summation of an almighty "cock-up" in terms of event management and MICE tourism! Is this the real implementation of that cunning plan for tourism growth based on quality and strength? If it is, then someone needs to help me see this because it is all hidden in some dirty fog of deviousness and total chaos. The situation on this island, in terms of governance and planning, has become a tragedy and a bubble ready to burst and spew out all the revolting mess accumulated over this decade. In this article, I will be discussing the sad manner in which tourism has been treated and give the six suggestions that a new government must look towards to rethink, redevelop and restore tourism for today's global situation.
Since 2013, these islands have had, no less than three tourism plans (five-year plans) that were a repetition of each other and did not really give much encouragement to the innovation and the redevelopment of a new tourism. This was particularly apparent in the budget presented a few weeks ago where there was no mention of investment, initiative and incentives. So it seems the tourism plans are simply smoke screens for bad governance. As the local community, we all need to make our voices heard with regards to the planning and policies for tourism, our quality of life depends on the correct implementation of a sustainable and responsible plan. Here are the six stages for rethinking, redeveloping and restoring our tourism plans:
1. Tourism is a people's industry and we have a right to state our say as to how this activity must be developed to give little to negative impact socially, culturally, economically and infrastructurally on your own quality of life.
2. Over-tourism is not a myth, it is real and can hit these islands (indeed it already has hit us in Valletta, Mdina and Sliema) leaving a dark cloud on an activity that is rich in socio-cultural experience. Avoid the tourist yobs and attract the visitor who really wants to be here.
3. Tourism planning should never be left to the government or authorities to decide on in isolation, this is an integrated process involving all the key stakeholders and the community.
4. Tourism planning is a continuous and consistent process where monitoring and consultation are vital to create a sense of ownership, civic pride, and responsibility.
5. Tourists must be subject to a strict code of behaviour (similar to the UN - Tourism Global Code of Conduct) and disciplinary action has to be taken in the case of consistent misbehavior - no, the client is not king!
6. Finally, Tourism is not an activity for the politician and the business person to treat as some game - trying out one venture, going bankrupt, or incompetent management; it is an activity that will lead to strong cultural, social, and economic benefits for all stakeholders - as long as we kindle the flames carefully and let them burn bright and effectively.
By following these six stages, we can ensure that these islands are managed professionally, sustainably and with the idea of developing a quality activity that attracts the visitor who wants to be here not the one who wants to be here. Travel and Tourism to these islands today is about quantitative gains for the greedy and uncouth. We need to put professionalism and hospitality back in the equation.
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.