The tourism industry’s focus over the next five years should be to offer tourists an “authentic experience” in every area – something they did not have in their own country – it was proposed yesterday.

Owners of neglected palazzi should consider converting them into guesthouses

In line with that aim, Valletta would be promoted for city breaks and owners of its neglected palazzi should consider converting them into guesthouses and bed-and-breakfast accommodation, Tourism Minister Mario de Marco said.

The next step would be how to provide incentives to owners to give their properties, often too big for a family to live in, a tourism-related use.

Dr de Marco was yesterday speaking at the launch for public consultation of the Draft Tourism Policy for 2012 – 2016, which offers a strategic direction and focuses on growth in the shoulder months.

He said the draft policy did not present radical changes from the plan for the last five years but aimed at consolidating what has already been built.

Tourism arrivals grew from 1.1 million in 2006 to 1.4 million last year. Increases were also registered in bed nights and spending, while changes have occurred in independent travel, with holidays booked over the internet.

The next five years would also focus on acquiring a slice of the Chinese and Brazilian markets, the latter, although not the easiest to tap, showing interest in English language learning.

The draft bears in mind not only the economic objectives of the industry but also its environmental dimension and the social aspect, which would keep traditions and skills alive.

“It would be short-sighted if tourism’s economic aims were achieved at the cost of the environment,” Dr de Marco stressed. “We do not need tourism at all costs.”

The document also looks into niche tourism, such as sports. Dr de Marco gave the example of football training camps in the shoulder months, pointing out that, unfortunately, the grounds being developed were using synthetic instead of real turf, which did not meet the market’s needs.

Culture and history remained the most important niche and Dr de Marco insisted the country’s patrimony was also in village cores, which had enormous potential but were not preserved and exploited enough.

The advantage of the cultural scene was that it could be enjoyed throughout the year and even in bad weather, he said.

For the English language industry to be sustainable, schools needed to concentrate on more mature students and corporate clients, who were less seasonal, the minister said.

Maritime transport also needed to be developed. Interlinking the islands and developing inter-harbour connections would be a win-win situation, offering a new experience and less traffic.

It also transpired from surveys that, in terms of retail outlets, tourists complained about a lack of international brands, Dr de Marco pointed out.

The doors to the iconic Fort St Elmo and St Angelo were shut to tourists, he remarked, adding that it would soon be known whether EU funds for their restoration would be available.

Entertainment had shown advances but more needed to be done in terms of local cuisine and even restaurant operating hours.

The document also focuses on Gozo, saying the ecological concept had to be stressed on, with accommodation on the island being as carbon neutral as possible.

As for its cultural tourism, Dr de Marco suggested that the various opera productions should work together to promote a lyrical season, associating the island with these events, rather than one-off performances.

The document, which involved the input of various stakeholders and includes 200 policy responses, is open for feedback in the next four weeks and will be finalised by the second quarter.

www.tourism.gov.mt.