Tourism Policy of Malta 2007-2011: Francis Zammit Dimech Minister For Tourism and Culture

Tourism Policy of Malta 2007-2011
Following intense consultations with all stakeholders in the tourism industry in December 2006
Government published the National Tourism Policy and Plan that encompass our vision, strategy,
goals and action for this important industry.
Francis Zammit Dimech Minister for Tourism and Culture

Objectives The objectives of our tourism policy are:
1. to manage tourism in Malta and Gozo on the principles of sustainable development
2. to maintain and conserve environmental and socio-cultural resources, being the key elements of the Maltese Islands’
tourism product;
3. to increase tourism earnings and tourism value added;
4. to sustain existing jobs and create more and better jobs;
5. to achieve a fair distribution of income;
6. to increase our competitive advantage and deliver quality and distinct tourism product, built on our characteristics;
7. to reduce seasonality;
8. to capitalise on the unique characteristics of Gozo;
9. to increase accessibility to and from Malta;
10. to benefit from e-business in tourism;
11. to maximise on Malta’s membership of the European Union.
Government funding
Government is investing a good percentage of the European Regional Development Funds and
the European Social Funds 2007-2013 for tourism product development.
€120 million euro are to be invested in tourism.
In its call for proposals for €180 million worth of projects under Cohesion Policy 2007 – 2013,
€80 million are earmarked for product development, niche market development and branding.
Marketing
The MTA launched its portal VisitMalta.com which so far managed to attract 1.5 million visitors.
Media Consulta, one of Europe’s largest marketing and advertising companies has been
commissioned to promote Malta in our core markets.
We are building a rich and varied calendar of events that are giving our visitors a unique
experience
Results
We are reaping the results of our policies and planning. In the first six months of this year we
managed to surpass one half million tourists. With 501,802 tourists coming to Malta, the first six
months of this year were the best six months in the past six years.
Malta’s tourism
policy It is our policy to:
1. ensure the optimal use of the financial and human resources dedicated to tourism through
the public sector and monitor the effectiveness of major initiatives;
2. deliver on our responsibility to provide direction to the tourism industry and to implement
better regulation initiatives;
3. manage and balance economic, social and environmental impacts seeking the national
interest, but not at the expense of degrading environmental and socio-cultural resources;
4. deepen our offerings focusing on our existing product elements and types of activity for
improving quality and service provision;
5. encourage creative thinking in seeking ways of increasing tourism value added also through
the provision of innovative and authentic products;
6. train and retrain personnel in the industry, create the right environment for maintaining
existing employment, generate more and better jobs in tourism, also in the non-traditional
segments of the industry, and invest in education and lifelong learning;
7. achieve a fair distribution of income;
8. favour construction for tourism purposes that respects our cultural and natural heritage;
9. address the structural reforms required in tourism
10. develop synergies between tourism and other development sectors to ensure an
integration of tourism policies within the other development sectors’ policies and plans and vice
versa;
11. maintain tour operator business and improve relationships with tour operators also at a strategic
level;
12. improve the quality and depth of information available through tourism statistics and work on
the formulation of tourism satellite accounts;
13. create the right image and perception of Malta in overseas markets and deliver our promise of
an enriching stay;
14. manage tourism zones by: a. ensuring that basic facilities are available, well preserved and
maintained; b. identifying the most important niches in the different zones and directing investment
accordingly; c. developing a tourism zone management plan;
15. encouraging tourism service providers to provide a proper service which makes us more
competitive and offers good value for money;
16. continuously monitoring Malta’s overall price competitiveness and curb practices of overcharging
through increased enforcement and consumer protection measures;
17. ensuring adherence to set standards by the tourism service providers and clamp down on
practices which harm tourism (e.g. littering and illegal dumping, illegal hunting, vandalism, lack of
maintenance)
18. taking initiatives which address the seasonality issue;
19. marketing Gozo as a unique rural1 destination;
20. facilitating access between Malta and Gozo through sea and air links;
21. making Malta more accessible, facilitating the development of air transport networks and
attracting a mix of distribution channels;
22. increasing visibility on the web and initiatives aimed at direct online booking and further use
of information technology for marketing and information provision;
23. maximising benefits of EU membership and actively participate in the decision-making
process and discussions held at an EU level.
Government is not the sole stakeholder in the industry. Government’s objectives are the
national interest, an improved quality of life and overall governance. It is responsible for setting
the right environment for tourism, for regulating the industry, for marketing Malta as a tourism
destination and for ensuring an improved tourism product, particularly in publicly owned
spaces.
The stakeholders This tourism policy and the national tourism plan can only be implemented
successfully if all the stakeholders partake in the process. The stakeholders for this policy are: •
Government represented through all ministries and entities • Local Government • The
Opposition • The private sector • Constituted bodies including non governmental organizations,
particularly those relating to tourism, environment and culture. • The Church • The residents of
Malta and Gozo.

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Francis Zammit Dimech Minister for Tourism and Culture

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