Malta and eight other Mediterranean countries signed a declaration on Wednesday promising to promote responsible and quality sustainable tourism 

Malta, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Libya, Italy, Palestine, and Spain signed the declaration at the end of a meeting of the Mediterranean Tourism Forum held in Valletta. They also committed to use innovative digital technologies for the region to remain a competitive tourism player. 

The meeting included roundtable discussions on tourism sustainability and competition through digitalisation. 

The ministers agreed to support and encourage cooperation within the World Tourism Organisation in order to safeguard the interests of the region and to ensure that Mediterranean tourism remains competitive. 

The agreement also focuses on collaboration with all stakeholders to mitigate the risks of climate change and to come up with solutions to address them. 

A summer of intense heatwaves in Malta and other Mediterranean countries such as Spain, and wildfires across Greece impacted economies and tourism in a number of Mediterranean countries. 

While Mediterranean countries remain a popular holiday destination, a recent report by the European Travel Commission warned that rising temperatures could lead to fewer European holidaymakers visiting the Mediterranean.

In comments to journalists before the summit, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said he was hopeful that the meeting would lead to more cooperation with these countries, despite some of them being Malta’s competitors. 

“We need to work to be at the forefront of sustainability and digitalisation, not just as a country, but as a Mediterranean region,” he said.

Ministers and delegates discussing the way forward for a more sustainable Mediterranean tourism sector. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

At the opening of the first roundtable session titled ‘Rethinking Tourism: Sustainability’ Bartolo said that tourism was one of the key economic pillars of Mediterranean countries. 

“In a world that is changing every day, I believe we have the opportunity to put the Mediterranean tourism on a rethinking process,” he said. “What was the model of 10, five, or even three years ago, is not applicable today. The Mediterranean region is being affected by the consequences of increases in temperature and reduction in precipitation.”

He said Mediterranean countries must be aware of the changes and demands of their people, and how tourism was affecting them. 

“How are we going to strike a respectful balance between tourism inflows without putting the environment in jeopardy? In what ways can we adopt tangible and sustainable practices within the hospitality industry?” he asked.