15.2 TOURISM

Tourism is a sector which is intrinsically linked to several other strategically important economic sectors such as transport, entertainment, retail, manufacturing. The emergence of the Maltese economy from the detrimental effects on COVID-19 depends largely on the ability of the Maltese tourism industry to bounce back from the erratic patterns it has had to endure over the past two years or so. Key to the sustained performance of the Tourism Industry going forward are the following factors:

• Product enhancement – infrastructure and general upkeep of tourism sites and environment to match the levels of investment made in private hotels and properties • Continued support to airlines (both low-cost and legacy) to sustain secondary routes which are key for the industry • Unique calendar of events (which needs to be COVID-19 friendly ie LESS [or no] mass events and MORE low-volume, high-frequency events possibly of a cultural nature • The Authorities need to facilitate the Industry in sourcing skilled Human

Resources (Maltese, EU, 3CN) especially in specialised and client-facing roles • Segmentation – Malta cannot be an attraction to all tourism segments simultaneously. Instead of focusing on numbers, Malta should be more target specific to attract tourism which yields a higher value to the country. This direction will have to be supported by a wider strategy that makes the country more attractive to visitors. Projects such as those being undertaken at Xlendi will not serve to attract a higher quality tourist. • A clear strategy for the industry in the coming years to guide operators in the industry to align their current and projected activities with established parameters. One aspect of such a strategy will seek to determine the extent of the trend being experienced by Malta and other destinations for tourism to shift towards non-collective accommodation.

Of course, here we must once again stress the points made in the earlier section of this document on Air Malta in particular the importance of a sustainable and competitive national airline for the specific needs of the Maltese tourism industry and that the latter cannot rely solely on foreign legacy and low-cost carriers.