Malta needs to attract older, higher spending, people to Malta as the country fast reaches maximum capacity for overseas visitors, a hospitality leader has warned.
Speaking to Times of Malta, Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) president Tony Zahra said: “Given that we’ve now reached the limit on the number of arrivals we can accommodate, it’s essential that we maximise the potential of each one.
“In recent years, there has been a focus on hosting numerous parties and concerts. These have attracted younger tourists and lowered the average age of arrivals. However, we may have been too successful in this regard.”
Zahra added that the archipelago, which is on track to see three million visitors this year, needs to “re-calibrate” its target market.
The MHRA boss also said cruise liner passengers aren’t paying enough for what they’re getting, as he decried the lack of a clear strategy over maximising income from tourism in Malta.
The average spend of a cruise liner passenger in Malta is around £51, but Mr Zahra warned that “cruise liners have become fully inclusive operators and passengers get whatever they want on board.
“On the other hand, we are providing those passengers an open-air museum. This is why the spend is so low.”
Zahra didn’t suggest how this issue might be addressed, and rejected the idea that Malta could introduce a daily fee for tourists like Venice, insisting that “we don’t have to go down that road.”
He added: “We are tiny compared to a lot of other places. So we can be clever and offer quality. People are willing to pay for quality. So let’s not compete on price anymore. Let’s compete on quality.”
Unlike Venice, Malta hasn’t introduced €5-fees to visit the city’s canals and historic sites, but does have a so-called eco-contribution tax, that applies to tourists aged 18 and older staying in licensed accommodations on the Maltese Islands.
Visitors are charged €0.50 per person, collected by hotels, and a maximum of €5 can be charged for each additional day of stay.
A video of Zahra telling sectoral stakeholders earlier this month that the constant push for more hotels was “madness” has gone viral, but the MHRA boss told the outlet he often feels like “voice in the wilderness” on the issue, with the government remaining “consistently silent”.
The industry chief accused the of Planning Authority becoming “permitting authority”, saying: “I understand that 99 applications for hotels and extensions have been approved.
“The Planning Authority should ask these hotels: ‘What are your plans for managing drainage, energy, and staffing?’”
He pointed out that these projects will add 27,000 rooms to the current stock, requiring 15,000 additional employees.
“Are we expecting more tourists to fill these rooms? Are we aiming to attract five million tourists? How many more can Malta realistically accommodate?” he said.
Planning Authority head Oliver Magro has been approached for comment via email.
The tiny Mediterranean island is a favourite amongst Brits looking to spend their golden years in the sun, helped by the fact that one of its two official languages is English.