Poor carnival return

Browsing through some pages of the Malta Tourism Authority's website, such as visitmalta.com, one can clearly see that carnival is depicted as one of the main attractions for prospective tourists. "If you're in Malta in early spring, try to coincide with carnival week," it says.

While I fully agree with the marketing of such events, we must not fall short of the expectations we instil in people who decide to visit our tiny island for the carnival weekend and try to provide them with value for their money. Therefore, the carnival spectacle must be treated as a tourist incentive and those producing the show should be entitled to payment in return for their strenuous efforts and laborious work.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Abuse incurred by carnival lovers is exacerbated by the meagre payments and inadequate workshops offered to those working hard (such as the carnival-float craftsmen), to, yearly, create what ultimately is one of the few winter highlights. This only serves the purpose of further suppressing the number (and availability) of gifted people and turning what can be a fine wine into sour grapes.

What will ultimately suffer most is tourism.