2015 has been an absolute record year for tourism – Minister

by Gozo News · February 3, 2016

"2015 has been an absolute record year for tourism, and the optimism surrounding the industry has been confirmed by several reports and statistics stemming from both local and international sources."

"This was stated by Minister for Tourism Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis, during a Business Breakfast meeting organised by the Malta Tourism Authority – 'MTA 2015: Working Collectively, Achieving Together.'

Moreover, Edward Zammit Lewis remarked that apart from the enhanced economic benefits accruing to the country as a whole as a result of these achievements, the accommodation sector has been seeing growth both in terms of occupancy rates and gross operating profit per available room.

The Minister outlined that the measure implemented by Government to reduce water and electricity tariffs in 2014 has greatly enhanced the competitiveness of the collective accommodation sector.

Looking at the year ahead, the Minister stated that in order to reduce excessive bureaucracy and red-tape faced by tourism operators, measures to simplify the licensing processes and strengthen the enforcement of regulations in the sector will be introduced.

Addressing the event, the Minister stated that, "My objective for 2016 is to curb unlicensed accommodations to further ensure better quality standards."

During his address, Edward Zammit Lewis highlighted the need to continuously improve the quality of the product on offer and raise the quality standards. He emphasised that the enhancement of quality along the entire tourism value chain was vital and key to the competitiveness and the sustainability of the sector.

To this end, the Minister listed a few initiatives aimed towards this objective, mainly the establishment of the Foundation for the Development of Tourism Zones that will be undertaking rehabilitation and embellishment works in various parts of the islands.

Moreover, the MTA, as from this year will be managing more beaches including further Blue Flag zones.

Dr Edward Zammit Lewis referred also to the introduction of an Environment Contribution as from 1st April 2016, whereby all revenue will be directed exclusively towards the improvement of the local infrastructure and enhancement of the general quality of the Malta product on offer.

With reference to air connectivity, the Minister reaffirmed that this remained a focal point of Government's programme with regards to the tourism sector and noted that presently no less than 33 airlines are operating to and from Malta.

"This development is in line with our strategy to consolidate existing tourism source markets, while embarking on a gradual, yet targeted, process of diversification. Meanwhile, in order to further enhance accessibility to our Islands, during 2016 we will be intensifying our efforts, together with Malta International Airport, to develop new routes. This will support our efforts to augment and diversify further our market sources," said Edward Zammit Lewis.

Edward Zammit Lewis also noted that Malta's tourism competitiveness can only be sustained if growth is accompanied by the development of, and investment in, human resources. Furthermore, the Minister explained that he is engaging with all related stakeholders to secure their commitment towards measures designed to enhance both the working conditions and the professional quality of the tourism workforce.

"The role of the Institute for Tourism Studies will continue to prove critical towards achieving these objectives. Here, my vision and direction are clear. I want the Institute to grow and develop further, both in terms of academic excellence and in the number of students who choose tourism as their career," the Minister said.

"I recently announced the setting up of a Committee, tasked with identifying existing skills gaps within the industry; gaps which can then be addressed through appropriate training courses delivered by ITS. This initiative will surely bring the Institute closer to the current and future needs of the private sector."

"Meanwhile, ITS accredited courses are also being organised within the Training Aid Framework, allowing workers to re-skill or up-skill their capabilities. All this has been topped up by the allocation of €56 million towards a new state of the art ITS campus at Smart City," said the Minister.

Addressing the event, the Minister also stated that over the past two years, the film industry in Malta has taken on a new dimension, and this sector developed into another important contributor to Malta's economic growth and to the extension of our tourism offer.

Edward Zammit Lewis explained that the MTA has been actively promoting film-tourism as one of its target segments in a cross-section of markets, highlighting the many quality productions made in Malta as part of its marketing plan. He emphasised that key to success in this segment is the ability to forge synergies between the worlds of film and tourism and derive further substantial economic benefit from linking two of Malta's foremost success stories.

Edward Zammit Lewis concluded by stating that the successful achievements in the tourism industry resulted from an effective collaboration between Government and all stakeholders, he affirmed that with the proper synergies in place, "Malta and Gozo will be in a stronger position to face the challenges ahead and to transform them into opportunities and ultimately more success for our destination."