Recently the news was focused, once again, on the disgraceful state this island is in, in terms of the social, environmental, cultural and economic aspects.

It seems , almost, as if there is no action being taken by the authorities responsible for law and order, management and tourism and that these incidents have become an acceptable event which as most locals may refer to as " U iwa, mhix xorta!".  But this situation is far from acceptable and I consider this to be a serious oversight by the authorities I mentioned before.

In normal situations, heads would roll, resignations would be accepted and dismissals would follow. Is this the way to manage tourism professionally?  Is this the way we want to promote the islands as a destination of excellence?

As someone stated recently, I cannot remember which particular politician it was, but these islands have become a party island! Absolutely disastrous. But how did this happen? What can we do to get back on track? It will take a major change in governance and attitude, first of all, then it will take a focused, integrated planning process to undo the damage that has spread over the last decade.

Alright, we must admit that tourism does mean lots and lots of money for the authorities, the politicians, and the opportunistic businessperson. So far, I will agree that tourism generates revenue for the stakeholders and we must make sure that the stakeholder is that broad cross-section of the community - the authorities, the businesses and the local resident - who are looking to the socio-cultural factors of tourism for a quality of life, for a sustainable environment, for a cordial relationship between the host and the visitor.

The mistake that was made in the last decade is based on greed, money and simple exploitation of tourism, where hospitality, service, and sustainability were no longer considered as qualities in a quality tourism activity, but just a means to an end - making more money through property speculation, cheating the client, and no value for money.

Can you really recommend one restaurant, coffee shop or retail outlet for its outstanding service, hospitality, and the product it offers? Regrettably, I cannot! Up to fifty years ago we were proud to recommend these places for their reliability, consistency, and good service; now that has all gone. We are treating the staff who work in tourism and the service sector as people who have jobs, not careers.

So, how can we start to work to repair this damage to the reputation and outlook of these islands with tourism?

1.       We must recognize that there is a problem with tourism to these islands today and that the problem concerns issues of overdevelopment, overpopulation and tourism and a careless attitude to civic responsibility.

2.      Next we need a governance and authority that has commitment, trust and synergy to do the correct and professional work to rethink tourism. There is no room for amateurs, opportunists or untrained people in tourism.

3.      The planning of tourism must include the local community in a consistent manner through dialogue, training needs and innovation.

4.      It is time to adopt the Global Code of ethics for Tourism (UN 1999) and the local code of ethics which is backed by a strict legal document which will see both locals and visitors who break this code be severely punished - by heavy fines, imprisonment and deportation for visitors or revoking their licences for rogue businesses.

5.      Tourism is no temporary cash cow, it is an activity that can "warm the house or burn it down" (Barcelona 1999).

6.      Finally, tourism needs a consistent watch to ensure that the process of rethinking, redeveloping and restoring a quality activity continues.

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 in Malta and the UK. He has also been appointed Chair of the Institute for Hospitality Mediterranean. His main area of research is community-based tourism and local tourism planning using the integrated approach.