The Nationalist Party has called for more state assistance to the tourism and catering sectors in view of the impact of COVID-19.

Shadow Minister Robert Arrigo told a press conference on Thursday that if the sector was to be saved, the government should allocate more funds to it, rather than squander funds on contracts to friends.  

 He proposed that licenses related to the Malta Tourism Authority should be waived till the end of March, and VAT for restaurants and bars should be reduced to 7%, as is the case for hotels.

The government also needs to intervene to ease the cost of heating fuel oil, where prices since November rose by 8%.

The wage supplement should also be extended to the end of March instead of the end of January.

Arrigo said the minister for tourism and the MTA itself should stop using public money for the minister's electoral districts but focus on marketing.

 Arrigo was accompanied by electoral candidate Graham Bencini, who insisted that public funds should be spent where they are needed most.  .

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