The Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism in the Office of the Prime Minister, Dr Mario de Marco, said that Malta’s tourism figures for 2008, as a total, which showed an increase of 3.8 per cent over 2007 (+47,346) in departing tourists and an increase of 2.2 per cent over 2007 in total nights spent by tourists (+245,033), was an achievement for the local tourism industry. “Together we have performed to very high levels, sustaining the Maltese economy notwithstanding the difficult international economic and financial scenario we are facing.”

Dr de Marco was giving his reactions to the tourism figures released by the National Statistics Office earlier today.

He stated that these results could not have been possible had the government, the airlines – led by the national carrier Airmalta as well as low-cost carriers – and other stakeholders, from hoteliers, restaurateurs, guides, museums, entertainment venues etc, not worked hard to achieve a record year (2008) on what was already a record year (2007). He referred in particular to the fact that over a two-year period (2006-2008), the number of tourists increased by over 166,000 and that over the same period, the number of bed nights increased by over 600,000.

Dr de Marco indicated that these results need to be put in the context of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) projections for 2008, where world tourism is expected to show an overall growth of only 2 per cent.

Malta was in fact one of the top performing Mediterranean destinations in 2008. Also of note was the fact that from the 1,290,856 tourists that visited our shores in 2008; 404,347 were repeat tourists – that is every 1 in 3 – a significantly high figure.

Dr de Marco stressed however that the relative downturn in arrivals over the last four months of 2008 are clearly indicative that 2009 is going to be a difficult and challenging year given the current international scenario. The challenges ahead lay in the fact that most airlines were consolidating or reducing their routes and our core markets were in a recession as a result of which, spending power was down and consumer confidence uncertain. The UNWTO’s forecast to date for the international tourism figures for 2009 was in fact of negative growth.

He stated however that UNWTO’s predictions should not undermine government’s and the industry’s commitment and resolve for 2009 – if anything we need to use the results achieved in 2008 to strengthen our resolve in tackling the three important pillars on which success in tourism is based, namely accessibility, marketing and product.

In so far as accessibility is concerned, the increased efforts made by government and MTA have already reaped results in that, over the last few weeks, the following new routes have been confirmed, namely Ryanair’s new service to Edinburgh and Bristol, Easyjet’s new service to Newcastle, SAS’s new service to Stockholm and Clickair’s service to Valencia in Summer. Airmalta has also confirmed that for the first time it will be using all its 12 aircraft over the summer for Malta routes. This has enabled Airmalta to launch new routes for 2009 for Verona, Stuttgart and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) and increasing frequency to destinations such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Munich, Frankfurt, Malpensa, Zurich, Moscow, Istanbul and Sofia.

In so far as marketing is concerned, MTA will be increasing its advertising in its core markets on the continent by an average of 50 per cent to reflect also the shift in the tourist nationality profile. For the first time MTA will be making a TV advert campaign in France, Germany and Italy apart from the UK. The TV advert was prepared by National Geographic. The increase in routes which require financial support and increase in advertising spend, was possible through the increased budget allocation of €3.5 million to MTA for 2009.

As for the product, Dr de Marco advised that 2009 will see the launch of a number of EU funded projects which are intended to improve the quality of the product we offer. Moreover a €10 million fund for co-financing of sustainable tourism projects by the private sector has also just been launched. These actions taken by government in the face of the current scenario speak louder than words.

He concluded by stating that the situation continues to change and evolve. The world in general has no experience of the effects of a global collapse in financial systems. “There is no doubt that we are facing major challenges in the next 12 months, but with the commitment and involvement of all stakeholders, I am confident that the industry, as it has proven in the past, is resilient enough to face these challenges.”