A strategic plan aimed at putting tourism at the heart of Malta’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery was launched on Monday by the Tourism Ministry.

“This is our time, we need to be the frontliners in the post-Covid era and at the forefront of Malta’s economic recovery,” Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo told a meeting with tourism stakeholders which discussed what the plan should feature. 

He said the 10-year plan is being built on three pillars – Recover, Rethink, Revitalise.

This, he said, should be a sector which is not afraid to change, a sector which will review what has been achieved and build its future in a manner which will make it sustainable.

The government, he said, would continue to support the industry, especially during the recovery period as Malta seeks to re-establish airline connectivity and relaunch its source markets as they open up after the pandemic.

But a rethink was also needed of where the industry wanted to go. The over-arching priority, he said, should be quality. 

“Being effective in quality is not an option,” he said. Standards had to improve in all sectors, and they have to be consistent. 

“Quality will make Malta home of tourism excellence,” he insisted.