Malta launched its new Tourism Strategy for the years 2021‑30 called Recover, Rethink, Revitalise, aiming to re-establish the tourism sector on a sounder footing and in line with international ideals and commitments in the fields of sustainable development and climate change. The key priorities of the Strategy are:
An upskilled tourism workforce.
Modernised infrastructure.
Updated tourism legislation.
Stronger potential for digitalisation.
Continued development of Malta’s airline connectivity.
An innovative approach towards responding to new travel trends.
The Strategy focuses on developing new services and products and continued marketing efforts to position Malta as a destination of choice in the widest range of geographic and motivational travel segments. It outlines the development of a digitalisation roadmap that seeks to empower public, private and non-profit organisations to invest and ensure that efficiency and market presence are maximised through the use of the latest technologies.
In 2021, Malta looked to kick-start the devastated tourism sector through a direct aid package for local tourism establishments valued at EUR 20 million. The aim was to attract tourism activity to Malta, targeting free and independent travellers (FITs) who plan their own trips and travel alone or in small groups as opposed to mass tourism that relies on large groups and travel packages. There are also initiatives addressing Quality Assured Visitor Attractions, long-stay visitors and sports tourists, including diving enthusiasts. The goal is to get tourism on the road to recovery quickly so Malta can generate the necessary number of tourists to support the investment made by the sector.
In the longer term, there is a need for a two-pronged approach to addressing employment in the Maltese tourism sector. The first is to make the sector a more attractive career for Maltese workers and foreign workers. The second is to ensure that foreign workers are not attracted mainly because of their relatively cheap labour cost but also because of the skills necessary to deliver a higher quality experience to Malta’s visitors. In May 2020, Malta launched a EUR 5 million online training programme to develop human resources to improve skills and the tourism product.
Moving forward, Malta will place a greater emphasis on a sustainable approach to tourism development and give less weight to volume growth. The objective is an enhanced offer, improved visitor satisfaction and minimised negative resident impacts.
