The Prime Minister of Malta told Travel Convention delegates that the decision to protect investment in tourism from cuts appeared to be paying off.
Opening the convention and becoming the first Prime Minister to ever do so, Lawrence Gonzi said the island had to take advantage of technology to improve accessibility to the destination.
He said it was not easy balancing the requirements of legacy and lowcost carriers but that it was vital and slowly but surely paying off with arrivals up 12% and expenditure up 20% in the first eight months of this year.
“Malta tourism depends on our ability to reinvent ourselves as a tourism destination. We need to be flexible. We used to be a sun and sea destination; that is no longer successful on its own.
“The secret is to embrace change. We had to change our marketing strategy to try to improve substantially our accessibility.”
Gonzi said accessibility from the UK had increased in 2010, helped in part by the development of a new cruise facility but that more was needed and Malta would “walk this fine line trying to balance the reality of legacy carriers and lowcost carriers”.
“I believe in the potential of Malta being a mainstream destination in the Mediterranean. We need you to partner with government and other stakeholders to make this a reality,” he added.
Gonzi said Malta was investing heavily in its product, in particular the heritage of the island which encompasses 6,000 years of history.
A new entrance to the capital city Valetta has been commissioned, work has started refurbishing the old opera house and a new parliament will be built feeing up the Presidents’ Palace that will become a “showcase of the Maltese culture and identity”.
“This project, along with other regeneration projects will, we believe, usher in a new renaissance for our capital city.”
Gonzi said tour operators should be focused on all aspects of holidays that people make choices about, not just the chance to relax.