Today marks World Tourism Day, which this year is taking place in a far different reality than anyone ever imagined. The upheaval in the travel and tourism industry caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is an uphill struggle that will persist in the forthcoming months and possibly years.
The pandemic has negatively affected tourism greatly. Let us not forget that tourism counts for around 30% of our economy. Overnight, our restaurants, hotels and resorts went from sharing between them almost 3 million tourists, to practically zero when we shut down our points of entry to the island. Even as we opened up our industry in the early summer, numbers were limited, for two reasons. Firstly, fewer flights were available. Secondly, people around the world were now thinking twice before committing to travel.
As a government, we acted immediately and introduced schemes to protect the workforce in the tourism industry. The wage supplement scheme and the vouchers scheme were just two of the many initiatives undertaken to avoid a situation in which possibly thousands of jobs in our industry were lost.
Whilst the industry was in hibernation, we were focussing our energy in improving the local product offered. Through the Malta Tourism Authority and other entities in our portfolio, we embellished and improved touristic zones and we launched a €5 million training scheme for workers in the industry. We also set out on maintaining, restoring and renovating several tourist attractions and historical sites. We saw this momentum on the ground from the private sector too. Many seized this dormant window as the perfect opportunity to upgrade their product.
During this time, we also embarked on a new tourism niche through the launch of several projects that incorporate virtual reality, artificial intelligence and augmented reality. These include an €8 million investment in a virtual museum at the Mediterranean Conference Centre to serve as another tourist attraction in the heart of the capital city among other projects in Valletta. We also invested in greener open spaces by opening a new family park, restored several valleys, and launched a valleys master plan all in collaboration with PARKS Malta.
To continue helping our industry, we also paid a bigger importance to domestic demand. With holidays for thousands of Maltese families out of the question, they have the opportunity to appreciate what is normally experienced primarily by tourists. This is in addition to the aforementioned vouchers scheme which served as a partial compensation to businesses.
This does not mean that everything is back to what it was. We are entering a winter which will certainly be tough, and with no indication of when we can start to put all this behind us. The government will continue investing in the industry, even in the upcoming budget, to not only protect our tourism industry but to also ensure it is ready to resume its role fully in our economy.
Whilst ensuring that locally all our efforts are based on the principles of sustainability, we believe that sustainability is not a buzzword, it is a creed. Through the SUNx programme for sustainable development and climate friendly travel, we launched a process aimed at the International travel industry including a specialised international course within the Institute for Tourism Studies.
This has already been recognised internationally. Just this week, the Secretary-General of the UNWTO, Mr Zurab Pololikashvili commended our commitment to achieve a sustainable growth of our tourism sector and the fact that we attribute tourism as a tool for sustainable socio-economic development.
This goes hand in hand with this year’s World Tourism Day theme: ‘Tourism and Rural Development’. This year the UNWTO is promoting ways and means how tourism can contribute to new opportunities whilst conserving the natural and cultural heritage around the world.
In spite of the difficulties which the global tourism industry is facing there is a need to keep focusing on the long term viability and sustainable development of our tourism offer. This includes the recognition of the importance and relevance of the rural and natural landscapes as integral parts of the destination’s character and offer. Even within Malta’s realities brought about by a small surface area and high population density, such tangible heritage merits the proper attention.
The difficulties caused by the global spread of COVID-19 have damaged tourism in a way never expected before. However, we are confident that tourism will bounce back once the situation returns to normality.
Minister for Tourism Hon. Julia Farrugia Portelli