Travel agencies specialising in language school students have demanded government compensation after estimating losses of €10 million due to the closure of the schools in July. 

The Federation of Education and Language Consultants Association, which represents 15 national associations and more than 700 language travel agencies worldwide, made the demand in a letter to Robert Abela. 

As well as compensation, they asked the prime minister for an assurance that “something similar won’t happen again”.

The group added that most of its members had lost trust in Malta as a study-travel destination and will not promote Malta before some time.

Schools were shuttered after hundreds of unvaccinated English-language students tested positive for COVID-19. 

Since then, at least 22 have reopened for fully vaccinated students after obtaining special permission from the health authorities.

Times of Malta reported a few days ago that it cost the government close to €300,000 to fly home 579 students stranded in Malta with COVID-19 or who were in quarantine after close contact with positive cases.

In the letter,  the federation said that the announcement that all schools were to be closed from July 14 “came as an utter shock for the whole industry”.

This, it said, not only affected students already on the island, but also their parents, the schools and FELTOM, their representative association, which had not been consulted, as well as agents from all over the world.

In a matter of hours, the federation said, more than 15,000 bookings were cancelled and flights in most cases could not be reimbursed. 

While health was a priority, there were more sensible ways in which the situation could have been handled, they say. 

'Immense damage'

In other member countries, the federation said, schools (or a classroom) where a cluster appeared were temporarily closed and students were tested as a matter of urgency.

An alternative could have been to only allow vaccinated students as from the following weekend instead of closing all schools, “a decision which your government waited one month to take”.

“The damage to the industry is immense and unfortunately done,” the federation said.

The federation also criticised the government for withdrawing the €1 million in vouchers that had been announced for students in June without an explanation.

“Our members encouraged our clients to choose Malta instead of another destination with the extra bonus of up to €300 in vouchers.”

At the very least, these vouchers should be given to those who maintained their enrollment, they said.