Operators in the tourism sector should not be made to shoulder the problems brought about by the prime minister when he gave the impression that COVID-19 was past, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said on Tuesday.

He made his comments at a meeting with a delegation from the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, a day after the delegation met the prime minister.

Grech said Malta needed clear direction and a new sense of civic responsibility where everybody pulled at the same rope so that sectors such as tourism were helped to recover.

Malta, he said, also needed to explore how to make itself more attractive for visitors.

MHRA president Tony Zahra underlined the importance of saving the tourism sector and for government planning for the years after the pandemic.

The government needed to continue to help the sector, especially if the spread of the virus persisted and became the new norm.

The coming winter was expected to be challenging for tourism operators and economic activity was needed to that the operators could at least retain their workers, he was quoted as saying in a PN statement.

During the meeting the two sides discussed the wage supplement scheme, the vouchers system and related topics. 

Those present included Robert Arrigo, shadow minister for tourism.