View of a tour

I read Vanessa Macdonald's article (Unfinished Malta - Impressions Of A Cruise Tourist, April 11) following the same invitation I received through the Malta Press Club to join a coach and guided tour from the cruise liner terminal yesterday week.

I must say I have been highlighting the problems and issues she raised in her eyewitness account in articles and radio programmes for the past seven years.

On the other hand, it has to be said that we need to be a little less self-critical and a little bit more appreciative of our wealth of heritage and culture. This would surely create the innovative spirit, in each and every one of us, that we need to become more flexible, as we remain as bureaucratic as ever in the way we organise programmes for tourists.

I cannot understand, for example, this obsession we have with recycling the same itineraries for our visitors. It is almost as if we have a myopic view of our history centred on Valletta and Mdina and forget the many villages and prehistoric sites that abound, many of which are considered of World Heritage standard by the UN.

It is the responsibility of guides (as the representatives of the country) to have contingency plans for visitors. In her article, Ms Macdonald gives the example of guides spending "more time warning people about the dangers of potholes and tree roots than talking about heritage". Tourists, she also notes, "go into the Palace from the Merchants Street entrance and must fight their way through the small alley alongside the National Library".

Most cities and places of interest have their own share of infrastructural problems. Although I believe the guide needs to focus on history and culture, we do have a local market scene (yes, albeit rather scruffy and rowdy) so why not offer an alternative route, say through St Lucia Street or Archbishop Street?

I agree that our city entrance leaves much to be desired but this should not obscure the 500-year wealth of history, culture and stories that lie within the walls.

It is important that works and maintenance are carried out constantly in order to preserve our product but it is also important that clear notices are posted in these areas to let visitors know what is happening, instead of being so frugal with our signage.

There also needs to be clearer communication between guides and coach drivers about meeting points and times. Unfortunately, this seems to be a recurring issue on most tours and certainly I agree they give the impression of shoddy organisation and management.

The guide should be the one to decide the most favourable route between base and places to visit. The driver should only recommend and not decide alone which route to take depending on what suits him best.

We are the ones who can change a tourist's impression of Malta by our attitudes and behaviour. Sure, there will always be the need to upgrade the infrastructure but above all we need to improve our hospitality and service to far higher levels if we are to offer tourists the kind of attention they expect.