Ridley Scott, the acclaimed producer and director, has alienated the Maltese by suggesting that tourists who visit Malta will not be entertained. “Don’t go there for your holidays,” he said.
His recent comment contrasts with his previous interviews, in which he praised our built heritage and way of life and said that the Maltese people are lovely. In an interview broadcast on TVM in 2023, he said he enjoyed riding around the island, visiting churches and houses and meeting Maltese people.
So why did Sir Ridley, who first visited Malta 30 years ago, who produced four films in Malta, who has stayed on our islands for long periods and has benefitted from our tax incentives, not recommend our island to tourists? That is something worth pondering about. Here is a man who has all the reasons in the world to love Malta and sing its praises, yet chose not to.
Before going further into this argument, let me start by saying that it would have been better for everyone if Sir Ridley had chosen a more private forum to diminish Malta’s tourism credentials. I am sure the tourism minister would have preferred to hear what Sir Ridley thought of Malta as a tourism destination privately rather than publicly. But what’s done cannot be undone. And perhaps the best thing we can do now is think about what was said rather than why and where it was said.
Is Malta losing its charm for certain types of tourists? The sad truth is that Malta is losing its charm not only to visitors but also to locals. I made this point during my speech when we debated the tourism budget in parliament. This government is turning Malta into a party destination, an island that is becoming increasingly appealing to a younger audience with lower spending power. These facts are borne out by statistics.
Sir Ridley and his generation are not the target audience of our tourism marketing people. By focusing on numbers, choking Malta with imported labour, allowing rampant development to take place without due regard to the built and natural heritage, clogging our roads with traffic, allowing tables and chairs to fill every public square and pavement, this government has in a short space of time transformed Malta into a Magaluf type of destination when we could have easily aimed to become a Monaco type of destination.
Which should worry us most? Sir Ridley dissing us publicly or the fact that an increasing number of Maltese are seeking to buy property abroad? If Malta is no longer attractive to a segment of the Maltese, should we be surprised that certain types of tourists find Malta unappealing?
Valletta has sadly become a case study of how to ruin a destination. Rather than focus on its World Heritage Status, palaces, churches and gardens, this government opted to turn our magnificent capital city into Paceville version 2, with music blaring until the early morning hours. Valletta forms part of my constituency and I am inundated with pleas from residents who find living there unbearable.
Malta is losing its charm not only to visitors but also to locals- Mario de Marco
What has happened in the capital is spreading to all our towns and villages. Make hay while the sun shines, someone said. We are ripping out the heart of what makes us Maltese and turning ourselves into something else, all in the name of a quick buck.
Sir Ridley did not come to Malta to advise us or the world on our tourism status. He is not responsible for investing in our tourism product and ensuring we remain competitive and appealing to a broad target audience. That is primarily the responsibility of our government and its tourism entities. If Malta is losing its attractiveness to higher-spending tourists, then the fingers should be pointed at the government.
It is pertinent to point out that foreign investors share the same sentiments. Malta is fast losing its attractiveness as a destination for investment, and one of the reasons for this drop is the decline in the quality of life on the island. Instead of building on our strengths and unique selling points, we have sought throughout the years to go for the numbers game, by trying to be everything to everyone while destroying the core of our identity and losing our appeal.
Malta needs a policy change before we reach a point of no return. We need to move away from this number-driven game, which lowers our standards and quality of life with each passing day. Let us aim higher. We have all the credentials to do so. Thankfully, many of the palaces, churches and people that Sir Ridley used to love seeing when touring Malta are still here.
Maybe we should consider Sir Ridley’s words as a wake-up call – a call to stop, think and change direction, to treasure what is truly precious and unique to us, rather than get too sensitive at the criticism that hit us in our face.
Let us invest in our heritage, protect what we have left and use our creative forces to build a better Malta, one that is appealing to locals and visitors alike. For, as Sir Ridley pointed out, Malta is indeed a treasure trove of architecture – from medieval right through to renaissance – “and when it’s good, its spectacular!”
Mario de Marco is the Nationalist Party’s spokesperson on tourism.