More sports for tourism

Sport has long been considered one of Malta's budding tourism segments. Alongside other important sectors such as conferences and incentives, the sporting niche enhances a destination's potential to improve the seasonality spread by boosting shoulder and low season tourist traffic.

Malta's mild Mediterranean winters and attractive springs are ideal for individuals, clubs, teams, or associations to conduct training camps or practice sessions while avoiding adverse weather conditions in their country of origin.

The sporting niche which has really blossomed locally is undoubtedly diving. The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) estimates that 38,500 divers visited Malta during 2000, an increase of 1,800 divers (or 5%) over the previous year. Many argue that much still needs to be done to improve the overall diving product, yet it is encouraging to note that 36% of present business represents repeat visitors and that 48% of divers visit Malta during the winter and shoulder months.

The majority of divers have a young to middle-aged profile and are aged 26 to 45. Most importantly, their length of stay is encouragingly long, with 45% staying nine to 15 days and another 12% extending their visit to 16 days or longer.

The MTA's predecessor, the National Tourism Organisation (NTOM), some time ago compiled an informative folder which included a number of fact sheets relating to the islands' foremost football, basketball, tennis, athletics, swimming, shooting, golfing and bowling facilities.

This was supplemented by a description of Malta's facilities and climatic conditions for the practice of water and outdoor sports, and a résumé of facilities available at the Gozo Sports Complex and the Marsa Sports Club.

Entitled "The Sports and Leisure Destination in the Heart of the Mediterranean", the document sought to entice foreign parties to visit our shores and discover the islands' treasures, while keeping in touch with training requirements or hobbies by actively making use of the islands' facilities. NTOM's foreign network marketed the facilities accordingly.

The folder, however, was never updated. Ever since its publication, Malta's sporting facilities have been boosted by the development of major facilities, with others in the pipeline. Ta' Qali can now boast fitness facilities together with the national football stadium and training pitches, Marsa's horse racing and athletics tracks are respectively being equipped with a well-planned floodlighting system and modern running facilities.

A multi-purpose sports hall has been developed alongside the national swimming pool and squash courts at Tal-Qroqq. Government's policy of land devolution for sports use and targeted assistance to schools and associations has also enabled several bodies to improve their sports facilities, to the benefit of the concerned practitioners.

It is Cottonera's newly constructed sports complex, however, that is unfolding into the local sports infrastructure's gem. The complex is a well planned leisure facility that can be used for training and/or competitive purposes. Bowls and volleyball are among the sports that stand to gain from the completion of such a milestone in local sports history.

Jesmond Mugliett, with his fresh and no-nonsense approach, has spearheaded most of these projects. The Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sports enthusiastically describes the changing environment in the local sports scene.

"The new and upgraded facilities are big assets contributing to the growth of sports in Malta. A good number of local associations and federations can nowadays start planning to organise international tournaments, which will undoubtedly also benefit local sportsmen, who will be able to improve their standards."

Can sports as a tourism niche prosper with the coming on stream of these facilities?

"Definitely. A wider choice of planned facilities will facilitate the growth of a sports culture and bring a more professional set-up. We are expecting positive exposure for our facilities from the forthcoming Small Nations Games, which in turn can lead to closer collaboration between local and foreign associations and perhaps more importantly, word of mouth publicity in international sporting circles.

"The construction of the other two sports complexes, as included in Government's electoral manifesto, will improve even further the range of facilities available for locals and interested foreign parties alike.

"The Government's facility development programme must now be complemented by the main sports bodies and the Malta Tourism Authority through the fostering of a budding culture; such a culture would ensure a busy calendar of international sports competitions."

Sports tourism may well develop into a more lucrative niche.

alanvella@keyworld.net