Tourist priority areas

Tourist priority areas are those parts of a country that the authorities classify as being of sufficient interest and/or beauty that are to be identified, established and maintained to the very highest standard possible.

But why do countries need tourist priority areas? They need them because it is impossible to keep and maintain a whole country to the highest of standards and so these smaller important areas are selected in order to give the very best impression to visitors.

Why are tourist priority areas so important? Because countries that depend on tourism need to present their very best face to visitors. It's as simple as that.

For example, in the city of York, in England, there are only a few streets and gardens that are really beautifully maintained; the other streets are just ordinary, regular streets, looked after in the normal way by the local council.

The same can be said of Taormina, in Sicily, San Giminiano, in Italy. Only a few selected areas are really attractive and spotless.

Exactly the same should be said about Malta and Gozo.

Tourist priority areas should be identified and made to look really attractive. This way tourists will find very attractive areas all over our islands, with roads linking one selected area to another also very well maintained. This way, along with our amazing areas of historical and scenic beauty, we could very easily create a country that visitors and locals would find very appealing indeed.

These TPAs could be created in such a way that they could be easily and economically maintained and we already have ample proof that we are capable of producing attractive landscaped areas and maintaining them. Just look at the beautiful work that the public-private partnership is doing with our centre strips and roundabouts.

Tourist priority areas. That's the theory and they will work very well if applied and followed through seriously.

When I was at the Malta Tourism Authority, my colleagues and I selected 28 areas in Malta and Gozo that could be embellished and maintained in this way. Twenty-eight areas that were small and easy to manage. Twenty-eight areas that could be increased in number and size as time wore on. Twenty-eight areas that we could be very proud of.

Maps were drawn out and the areas selected right down to the actual roads, pavements and gardens. Areas such as Wied Iz-Zurrieq (which today is a mess), Mellieha village, including the church and square, Spinola Bay, Mdina, Xlendi Bay area, Citadella and parts of Victoria, Mdina, parts of Valletta, among others.

I estimated that these areas would cost between Lm500, 000 and Lm1 million each to develop, protect and maintain. These areas could be developed over a period of five to six years.

I was very pleased to see that in the last budget the Minister of Finance allocated Lm10 million for physical tourism embellishment projects. This would be an excellent start. But a start doesn't mean simply the availability of the finance. A start means actual work on the projects. Planning and implementing the projects. Getting on with them now. Using the entry into Europe as a catalyst to encourage us to immediately act on things that are necessary and desirable.

There are many areas of Malta and Gozo that are already looked after very well. The majority of the centres of our older villages are carefully looked after and clean. Birzebbuga is a fine example to us all of how to maintain properly and look after a busy seaside resort. I salute the Birzebbuga local council.

So if we add our new, beautifully maintained tourist priority areas to these existing areas that are already acceptable just imagine what a fabulous impression we can give.

The idea of the TPAs is there. The idea is practicable, sensible, workable and controllable. It will also help us tremendously in our quest to offer a product that will compete favourably with our competitors in the rest of the world.

A real estate agent, Mr Salt is a former chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority's product planning and development directorate.