Why Pembroke, not Ta' Qali, should host Malta's major conferences

Prime Minister Robert Abela is right to put the MICE industry (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) at the centre of Malta’s tourism strategy.

Speaking at a Q&A session just a few weeks ago, he acknowledged that, while we have facilities, we lack a single purpose-built venue capable of hosting large-scale events.

Describing a new convention centre as a “crucial investment”, the prime minister confirmed that negotiations and work are ongoing. He is absolutely correct. Malta needs a large-format convention centre and it needs it sooner rather than later.

Where I would add urgency, and caution, is this: the island cannot afford to get this wrong.

A national convention centre is not just another construction project and it cannot simply be placed wherever there is a convenient vacant plot of land.

If we build the right facility in the wrong location or deliver something that is not fit for the international MICE market, we will lock ourselves into decades of ‘almost there’ while other European destinations continue to take the business we should be winning.

Malta’s tourism story so far has been impressive in terms of numbers.

Visitors now bring in around €4 billion to our economy. However, the average spend per tourist per night is still hovering around €150 with an average stay of 6.3 nights. That is low, considering it includes accommodation, food and beverage, transportation and more.

Conference and convention delegates, on the other hand, consistently spend an average of €330-plus per night and our groups typically stay for three nights in what is considered mostly the low season.

Location is not a footnote. It is the decision

That is a completely different economic model. Higher yield, more predictable planning and a better return.

In a nutshell, it means more money left in the economy by fewer visitors. This is what sustainable tourism looks like.

However, Malta still lacks the single piece of infrastructure that signals seriousness in the global conventions market. A purpose-built, large-format convention centre capable of hosting major international conferences.

We are losing out on the multiplier effect that comes with these events. Thousands of hotel nights, restaurant covers and, perhaps most importantly, the long-term branding Malta earns when it hosts a major global event that puts international decision-makers on the island for a few days.

This is why location is not a footnote. It is the decision.

Ta’ Qali has been earmarked for a national convention centre. But, while Malta will always benefit from flexible spaces inland, Ta’ Qali should not be treated as the sole option.

Proximity to hotels is non-negotiable. Beyond pure logistics, the Mediterranean element is part of what we sell. Sea-facing venues do not just look good in brochures. They help win bids.

That is why I have consistently argued that the best option for Malta’s flagship con­vention centre needs to be in the area between St Julian’s and St Paul’s Bay, with the outskirts of Pembroke being the most suitable.

Pembroke represents an opportunity to create something Malta currently cannot offer. A modern, multi-purpose conference venue.

It can be efficiently connected to the hotel clusters in St Julian’s, Sliema and the wider northeastern corridor, while avoiding the mistake of placing a mega venue in the most congested streets.

It can offer the seafront setting that global brands expect when choosing a Mediterranean destination. It can also be designed with the right footprint from the start.

Just as importantly, it can be programmed beyond conferences, hosting exhibitions, corporate launches, cultural events and other large gatherings that ensure national return on investment across the calendar.

If we accept Pembroke as the right general area, we then have to be equally deliberate about the exact site.

White Rocks has been earmarked by the government as a national park and that direction should be respected. But respecting that commitment does not weaken the case for a convention centre in Pembroke.

A serious alternative is nearby, only a few hundred metres from the White Rocks complex, in fact.

The campus of the government’s Institute for Education on Martin Luther King Road is an ideal location.

The Institute for Education site sits on committed land and also offers a wider opportunity for national benefit. A new convention centre there could link to the proposed national park and supplement it, creating an area that works for residents and visitors, not only for three-day conferences.

The prime minister is right to highlight the importance of this investment and he is right to focus on a strategy for strengthening MICE.

But a strategy is only as strong as its execution. If we get this right, Malta can raise its tourism yield without chasing ever-higher numbers.

If we do it poorly, we will spend years explaining why the opportunity did not translate into results.

Mark Gatt

Mark Gatt is the managing director of EC Meetings.