The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association in a statement this afternoon this afternoon expressed “its satisfaction with the appointment of Dr Mario de Marco as Minister of Tourism and wished him well in his new position.”
“Dr de Marco brings with him an excellent track record in the area of Tourism having been Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism within the OPM for a number of years,” the MHRA said.
Commenting on this appointment Mr Tony Zahra President of the MHRA said, “It is very logical and correct that the Tourism industry which represents over 25% of Malta’s GDP should have its own Minister at Cabinet level. We extend our congratulations to Dr de Marco on this new appointment and are confident that this move will help to ensure that 2012 will be another record year for tourist arrivals to Malta. “
MHRA said it had “been leading a campaign to increase accessibility to Malta by opening up further routes and increasing the number of seats to Malta for Summer 2012.” Tony Zahara commented, “now that we have a Minister for Tourism I feel confident that Government will ensure that this objective is achieved.”