ITS eyes pathway to university status by 2030

The Institute of Tourism Studies plans on establishing a pathway to university status by 2030, under a new five-year strategic plan launched on Monday.

The 2026 to 2030 strategy commits the institute to becoming research-active and to growing its international student body to 35 per cent of enrolment, drawn from at least 15 countries. It also aims to make ITS more financially resilient by reducing its reliance on government funding.

ITS chief executive Pierre Fenech described the plan as “practical, phased and measured”, balancing urgency with responsibility.

It is structured around four linked phases: baseline consolidation in 2026, capability building in 2026–2027, strategic expansion in 2027–2028 and a final phase of optimisation and scale.

Fenech said the strategy responds to three converging macro-forces: Malta Vision 2050, the 2025 Iran conflict, and the global transformation of higher education. Malta, he said, holds strategic advantages including EU-recognised accreditation, English-medium instruction and Schengen access.

The plan is organised around six objectives, with non-negotiable priorities including the installation of dedicated quality assurance leadership, stronger assessment governance and the use of external examiners.

“This plan reflects not only what we have achieved to date, but our ambition to keep advancing,” he said, adding that while the strategy sets courageous, forward-looking targets, the institute is confident in its vision, its people and its capacity to deliver concrete, measurable and long-lasting results.

Launching the strategy, Tourism Minister Jo Etienne Abela said investment in ITS “is not an expense, but an investment in the competitiveness of Maltese tourism and in the quality of the service we offer our visitors”.

He said the strategy presents a clear vision for ITS to keep strengthening itself as a modern, innovative institution closely tied to the needs of the tourism industry,

"If we want a stronger institution, we must build it on solid foundations," Abela said, explaining that the plan includes greater investment in the quality of education, infrastructure, digitalisation, governance and academic capacity, with the aim of making ITS more modern, more industry-connected and more internationally recognised by 2030.

The minister said the strategy is aligned with Malta Vision 2050 and the government's commitment to building a tourism economy based on quality, skills and value-added services.

It also provides for new specialised courses, closer collaboration with industry and the strengthening of the institute's internationalisation, building on the Skills Pass programme.

"Tourism is not measured only by the number of visitors who reach our shores. It is also measured by the quality of the service, the level of the experience and the professionalism of those working in the sector," Abela said. "Every investment in skills is an investment in the future of Maltese tourism."

The launch was attended by the ITS board of governors, the institute's leadership and staff, and representatives of the tourism industry and other stakeholders.