Tourism agenda

Malta is committed to making tourism top of the national agenda, writes Julian Zarb:

After being confirmed as the island’s prime minister for another five years, Dr. Lawrence Gonzi has announced that the new cabinet of ministers will include a parliamentary secretary for tourism who will be working within the office of the prime minister..

During the 1960s, tourism was given an important role to play in supporting the vital transition of the islands from a military base to an independent state within the Commonwealth. The Nationalist-led government introduced a series of initiatives and grants to encourage investment in the tourism sector and this paid off. From a mere 40,000 visitors to the islands in 1963, the number of tourists grew to almost 400,000 by 1971. Today, this figure has trebled and the sector generates over 25 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, one of the highest percentage rates within the EU..

Perhaps this was due, in the main, to the strong policies of the Nationalist Party manifesto that are based on creating a better and more productive workforce whose core competency is continuous professional development.

Making the islands more competitive in the tourism sector is seen as being dependant on the ability to create specialized niche markets and to attract visitors because of the islands’ unique characteristics rather than for its basic qualities as a sun and sea destination...