After two debilitating years for tourism, Malta is hoping for a comeback.

But in a sector that is a key contributor to the economy, tourism officials estimate around 1.8 million visitors will arrive here this year – a figure equivalent to 2015 levels.

Meanwhile, other Mediterranean countries, such as Greece, aspire to reach pre-pandemic numbers. 

Delays in removing COVID-19 related measures by local health authorities are being blamed by many in the industry for the low expectations.

But is the lingering pandemic responsible or is the island losing its lustre?

Times of Malta spoke to experts and tourists to find out.

The tourists

Holidaymakers heading back home after their stay here mostly had good things to say about Malta. But speaking to Times of Malta just before catching their planes back home, they said there were one or two things they would change.

One tourist who returned to Malta after 20 years said he liked the way the island had developed.

“I was here when I was 15. It was nice to see all the spots I had seen then”.

Asked how he thought Malta had changed, the visitor said it was nice to see the new buildings.

“I liked everything. Except for the roads maybe. The roads are a little bit bumpy sometimes,” he noted.

“We had a wonderful time. It’s a beautiful country. The scenery was stunning and there’s so much history,” said a couple who were here on their honeymoon.

“The people are the nicest... we would recommend it to anyone”.

They joked that the only thing they did not like was “the fact it’s so far from the United States”.

Gozo, the Blue Lagoon, Valletta and Mdina were among the places mentioned as favourites by those who had just holidayed in Malta.

A British tourist who was on his first-ever holiday abroad described Malta as ‘paradise’ and said that he was texting his friends telling them they must visit the Mediterranean country.

The traffic was the only thing that had bothered him during his stay. “The cars beeping... apart from that it’s lovely”.

A young Italian man enjoyed his three-day stay with his girlfriend.

“The weather is splendid. This island is very nice,” he said, adding he hopes to come back again for swimming.

Going back to his country, one young man said he had thoroughly enjoyed his holiday but one thing which had bothered him most was the building taking place everywhere.

“There’s a lot of construction going on,” he said.

And an excited young lady traveller had nothing but praise.

“It’s amazing... it’s paradise. The Blue Lagoon... and Gozo”.

Gozo was the favourite of a group of first-time tourists from England, too.

But one thing that got the thumbs down from them was the public facilities made available.

“The hand driers in the toilets never work. There was never tissues in the toilets,” one of the men in the group complained, adding however that he would visit the island again, nonetheless.

The planner

Vincent Cassar is a former chairperson of the Planning Authority board and a vocal campaigner for the protection of Malta’s unique streetscape.

The main concern he says he hears from holidaymakers is similar to the concern of many living in the country: overdevelopment.

“They speak to me about construction everywhere, the crane-dotted skyline, contractors ripping up roads and the dust,” he said.

No tourist comes to Malta to see construction sites everywhere or to stand in dust, he adds.

However, this negative impression of the country changes when these visitors spend time in Valletta, Mdina and the Three cities.

“Typical streetscapes are what tourists travel to see,” he said.

“We can no longer afford to have more two- and three-storey streetscapes engulfed by five-storey buildings”.

While he is not opposed to high-rise areas, they must be part of a solid and structured plan designed for the sensible development of similar buildings, he said.

This will ensure such buildings will accommodate Malta’s growth without further ruining the landscape and attractiveness of the country.

The architect

Simone Vella Lenicker, a design director at architecture firm AP Valletta, suggests tourists are being hoodwinked by the marketing of Malta.

They are presented with images of sea and beautiful landscapes but are faced with a different reality once they land.

“Tourists do not look at one building in isolation. “They look at the whole picture,” she said.

“When they step out of their hotel they absorb the whole streetscape – the broken or too narrow pavements, the building site next door, the garbage bags piled up outside doorways, the lack of harmony of adjacent buildings, the apartment in the same block having balconies in different materials, the haphazard parking. These are the experiences tourists take with them too”.

Those visiting the historic areas of Valletta, Mdina and the Three Cities will certainly return home with a more positive impression of the country than those visiting Buġibba, St Julian’s and Sliema, she believes.

But tourists also tend to explore. 

“With this exploration come the realities of that country, and in the case of Malta, that is construction round every other corner, roadworks, dust and noise pollution, which go beyond the mere experience of aesthetics”.

The former president of the Kamra tal-Periti said planners and architects themselves must shoulder the responsibility for the aesthetics of the projects they give birth to, because these are the future heritage of the country.

She also put some of the onus on the owners of buildings as these too have a responsibility to ensure the good upkeep of the exterior.

Vella Lenicker also mentioned the lack of accessibility as a factor which may make it less attractive to those wanting to visit.

Other countries, she said, take accessibility for granted.

“It is ingrained in their planning and building regulations. It is therefore a shock for tourists with impaired mobility who find that in some instances they cannot even access a pavement.”

The tourist guide

As a tourist guide for the last 35 years, Anne Marie de Barro has been face-to-face with thousands of people who have chosen Malta as their holiday destination. Today’s tourist is well travelled and is searching for the elements that make Malta authentic and unique, with foreign tourists keen to meet the locals.

She has noticed fewer Maltese in the hospitality and tourism industry and hopes that will change.

Visitors are always in awe at the beauty of St John’s Co-Cathedral and they are charmed by the Three Cities, especially when visiting them at night. Mdina remains a favourite and de Barro said visitors are impressed by megalitihic monuments in Ġgantija, Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim.

Valletta impresses with its cleanliness and the Renzo Piano project in the capital city is a favourite.

But on the downside, many are dismayed by built-up areas in the country, and the large number of cranes around the island.

They comment about how these end up in their holiday snaps.

“Cranes are everywhere,” she said.

“They appear in photos taken from Valletta pointing at the Three Cities, and vice versa. They are also in photos taken from Valletta facing Sliema and St Julian’s and the opposite way”.

A traveller’s experience depends very much on their expectations.

Some travel to Malta visualising it as another Greece and return disappointed by the limited number of sandy beaches. They often comment on the lack of greenery. 

“Post-COVID, we have more travellers asking us for more scenic areas. It was bound to happen after people were locked inside for so long,” said the guide.

De Barro noted that those visiting the country also love Dingli cliffs and Gozo, which both have larger areas of untouched nature.

The hotel general manager

Robyn Pratt is general manager at the 5-star Phoenicia Malta Hotel and has spent most of her life involved in the hospitality industry.

Like many in the industry, she puts the lower figures forecast for this year down to the slower lifting of pandemic-related restrictions.

“We have had situations where guests advised they are cancelling and opting for destinations such as Greece due to the more relaxed COVID measures,” she said.

Summer reservations are not as strong as she would have hoped but she puts that down to a changing trend for last-minute bookings.

Pratt said that the country’s long-held aim for higher-spending tourists will only be met if the infrastructure improves. 

Tourists are impacted by the whole experience, from accessibility to good, clean public toilets, safe pavements, and a pleasant taxi ride.

Malta’s unique charm must be retained, she believes, as that is the reason people tell their friends and family about their wonderful holiday and are encouraged to return.