Tourism – are we ready for a quantum leap

All through summer, beaches are crowded, so one is well advised to wake up early to secure a good spot. Thanks to initiatives by government agencies, most beaches are clean with crystal clear waters and added amenities such as security guards, hiring of d

Children can enjoy the safety of swimming in blue flag beaches complete with enhanced amenities such as free showers and lifesaving equipment. The clever chaps at Malta Tourist Authority, who work their fingers to the bone to build up an image of the islands as a mini-paradise and a well-kept secret when one considers that notwithstanding the tiny rock syndrome – there is a lot to do and see in these 372 square kilometers.

Improved statistics for this season speak for themselves as cumulative data for the period July 2016 point to a very good performance with the number of tourists and cruise liner visitors increasing over the same period last year. Last year, the number of nights stayed by tourists reached 7.3 million, recording an increase of 4.2 per cent while attracting higher- income tourist as revenue increased by 6.7 per cent, reaching €845.8 million. This bonanza begs the question – is there a future for the industry to continue to grow when the list of attractions is modest and we are close to saturation point?

The answer is that more fun is on the menu with forthcoming events over the next two years that include the embellishment of the famous Triton Fountain outside City Gate in Valletta, holding the EU presidency and Valletta as the cultural city of Europe. At this point we can take stock of our unique selling points and continue to invest in the product to attract upmarket visitors. The list of monuments yearning for restoration include temples dating from ancient history, a number of fortifications from the time of the Sovereign Order of the Knights of St John and historical remains of ancient Islamic culture in Mdina. Our heritage is rich and this is reflected in the expanse of Baroque architecture thanks to the Knights of St John who built fountains, triumphant arches and magnificent palaces.

A unique industry (now extinct) was that of harvesting natural salt so our ancestors built salt pans in about 40 different sites. The Order held a monopoly over the production of salt in Malta, Gozo and Comino and those who harvested salt without the authorization of the Order would be heavily penalised. As an example, the Knights constructed salt pans in Salina Bay and built a factory next to them, using a simple process. This consists of sea water evaporating leaving salt as a residue which is scraped to a corner of the pan and stored in jute bags to be carted away on the back of a mule. A nostalgic picture shows a salt gatherer bending over a pan to collect salt crystals which in those days was the only preservative for storing food.

Back to the present day and living on these crowded islands; we share our rocky and few sandy beaches with over two hundred thousand foreigners who visit us in August to share our beautiful heritage. Naturally, during the hot sunny days there is no better attraction than water sports including sea diving and snorkelling – not to mention paragliding and board sailing. Locals are proud of the summer atmosphere with feasts celebrated in every town but the main attraction is the Sta Maria feast – a commemoration of the World War II convoy that entered Grand Harbour on 15th August with food and other provisions – it was our last hope to avoid mass starvation. It is a pleasure to note that nine towns or villages celebrate the feast of Santa Marija. Unfortunately, two years ago the festa was marred by a surreal power cut which frayed tempers with the parishioners. Party apologists were quick to blame the occurrence on a faulty cable that caused an explosion in one of the turbines at the power station.

As remarked at the start of this article, we all clamour to attract well-heeled tourists (a two billion euro investment is planned to erect 25 high rise towers in the Sliema/St Julian’s area). MaltaToday speaks about a number of upmarket projects which once fully functional will change the skyline of the Sliema and St Julian’s environs. For instance, the Seabank Hotel owner wants to build two towers for his Hard Rock franchise on the site of the Institute for Tourism Studies. Another behemoth is the six-star complex to be erected instead of the Radisson/Corinthia Hotels and eight new apartment blocks along the St George’s Coast. More is in store as Garnet Investments plans a Zaha Hadid creation close by, and a tower at St George’s Bay. Two Zaha Hadid towers will be erected over Mercury House in Paceville plus a 15-storey complex behind the Intercontinental Hotel. Adjacent to this new complex will be a 25-storey hotel built by Paul Xuereb; and the St George’s Park complex is planning its own tower.

Will this concentration of high-rise luxury buildings be the harbinger of a housing bubble as some economists are warning us not to fall into the trap of a property collapse as suffered in Spain. However, hotel owners and other speculators believe in the hospitality industry’s future and it seems that within a decade the Dubai-ification of the island will be unstoppable. This future investment will not be possible unless adequate power supply is guaranteed at a steady rate and in competitive terms. A blackout when the tourist season is at its peak is bad for business.

Yes, in the past years we had to grin and bear long hours of power cuts. Notwithstanding a delay of two years, a new gasfired power station is promised to come on stream towards the end of the year. So far we have been content with patching up the ageing equipment and running the BWSC plant on heavy fuel oil using a fragile distribution system; today everyone appreciates that energy supply in Malta is about to undergo a major overhaul to convert to gas. Certainly the shock discovery three years ago of alleged kickbacks on oil procurements at EneMalta – the governmentowned power generating company – sent shivers down the spine of taxpayers when they realized that the high energy rates they were paying, were not caused exclusively by higher oil prices but from alleged mismanagement in oil procurement. In 2012, MaltaToday revealed an alleged scandal at EneMalta of €400 million consisting of commissions and kickbacks in oil stock purchases.

But it is not all doom and gloom, as we are blessed to have painstakingly built a thriving tourist industry and for us residents, we feel cosy living here in this gilded cage set in a temperate Mediterranean climate where state employees can enjoy the beach with a half-day work schedule during the summer months. To conclude, never mind the tribulations of party politics, a flood of refugees, tales of terrorist attacks in mainland Europe, or cost of living debates – just thank heavens for tourists who visit us in their thousands and enjoy the fireworks, festas, free entrance to Isle of MTV, Joseph Calleja concerts, late night partying, crystal clear waters and the bliss of having moonlight family BBQs on beaches. Really and truly, we all agree that our lifestyle is much improved thanks to the multiplier effect a growing tourist industry is having on our economy.