The hoteliers' association warned Monday that there will be mass unemployment unless the airport is reopened.
"If we don’t open the airport then we shall see mass unemployment as there is no reason for anyone in the tourist industry to hold on to staff if there is no summer. Operators in the tourism industry will let everyone go and rehire in Easter 2021 - provided of course they are still around by that time. This is not a threat, this is not an argument supporting wealth against health or otherwise – this is a fact of life," the president of the Malta Hotels ad Restaurants Association, Tony Zahra, warned.
The tourist sector ground to a halt when travel to Malta was stopped two months ago.
The government has been subsidising the wage bill of firms badly affected by the consequences of COVID-19. It is expected in the coming hours to announce a further loosening of COVID-19 measures, including the reopening of restaurants, after having allowed non-essential shops to re-open two weeks ago.
The tourism minister has also spoken about efforts being made to establish travel corridors at the appropriate time with nine countries having only a few cases of COVID-19.
Authorities have however so far emphasised that there are no plans, as yet, to reopen the airport to foreign travel.
The association in a statement commended the government for its efforts to date to counter COVID-19.
Human life must prevail above everything and it has been encouraging to see how the Maltese government adopted prompt measures to contain the pandemic, the association said.
"Remarkably, facts at hand today reveal that the impact of COVID 19 on public health in Malta was much less dramatic than was expected. This however came at a hefty economic price, with probably the transport, travel, tourism, hospitality, sports, entertainment sectors and everything that supports socialising being hit the hardest and are now suffering badly."
The association quoted Zahra as saying that the tourism sector is now desperate to reopen and face the “new” normality.”
"MHRA emphasizes that it is important that we keep safeguarding lives but equally important that we need to start working together to protect livelihoods. Our medical authorities need to keep being vigilant and perform their essential and respectful role in our society but we also need to reignite our economy. The economy will not be as we’ve been accustomed to over the past years – it will be a new reality for all, however we cannot keep procrastinating from opening our tourism sector, he insisted.
“Every day that passes the economy is sinking further and further into trouble and every day that passes government is spending circa €11 million per day or €330 million per month to keep everyone at home, money which the government is borrowing and has to be repaid from everybody’s taxes in the future."
In quoting Zahra calling for the airport to be reopened, the MHRA urged the government to steer towards reigniting the economy through the tourism sector whilst ensuring reasonable safety measures for staff, employees and residents.