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3 NEWS 29.9.2022 FROM PAGE 1 But despite facing many challenges, the successes should not be disregard- ed, Micallef said. "We have not only grown our tourism numbers, but we have widened our sea- son, diversified our geographic source markets, expanded our age demograph- ic and tapped into an expanding range of motivational reasons why tourists visit Malta and Gozo," he said. He said that operators in the tourism industry need to work together with a common vision if Malta is to overcome the challenges ahead. "Rethinking tourism recognises not only that the world continues to change, but that it is changing fast," Micallef said. "Ours today is a world where gen- erations of globalised travellers, accus- tomed to unrestrained and affordable travel opportunities and to an ever-in- creasing choice of destinations with competitive offers, are facing the pres- sures and forces of change as our world adapts to new realities." Earlier this week, Micallef addressed a special conference organised by e Malta Chamber on the occasion of World Tourism Day as commemorated by the United Nations, with the theme 'Rediscover'. He highlighted the MTA's vision for the rethinking of Malta and Gozo's tourism industry and the 10-year strate- gy launched with the Ministry for Tour- ism at the end of 2021. He said that the MTA's Recover/Re- think/Revitalise Strategy makes it clear at the outset that the three-pronged approach to creating a stronger and more competitive tourism industry for the Maltese Islands is one which is be- ing carried out in an overlapping rather than a sequential approach, adding that "we have focused on recovery but have already started our rethinking and the revitalisation will start to take place as the rethinking process progresses". He said that, while the number of in- bound tourist in 2020 and 2021 was below the one-million mark, due to the pandemic, the numbers for 2022 are very encouraging and are estimated to reach 2,000,000 by the end of the year, which translates to 77% of the 2019 fig- ures. Air Seat Capacity is back to 78% of pre-pandemic levels (in January to Au- gust), with 18 destinations standing close to, or even exceeding pre-pan- demic capacity levels. ese include Poland (where the MTA will be formal- ly opening its new office in the coming weeks), France, Bulgaria, Italy and e Netherlands. From January to July, Malta's biggest source markets for inbound tourism were the United Kingdom (221,108 – 62% of 2019), Italy (190,945 – 88% of 2019), France (137,294 – 106% of 2019), Germany (87,454 – 745 of 2019) and Poland (78,190 – 132% of 2019). Micallef said that the latest available data collected from airline websites, indicates that air seat capacity for the coming winter season is forecast at 91% of pre-pandemic levels, with the esti- mated number of inbound tourists be- ing 1,240,000 for November to March, both months included. He insisted that Malta and Gozo con- tinue to possess the right mix of ingredi- ents to sustain their future as a relevant and successful tourism destinations, further adding that "this is what gives us the confidence to look at the future with hope and optimism. "e last two years have not only convinced everyone of the importance and relevance of tourism but they have also raised awareness on how important it is to place rethinking and revitalising topmost in our modus operandi.," he said. Inbound tourists from January to December 2021 reached nearly 944 thousand or 34.9 per cent of 2019 tourists, an increase of 47.5 per cent over the same period in 2020, mainly driven by holiday travellers. Total tourist expenditure for 2021 was estimated at €871 million, an increase of 91.3 per cent over 2020, while tourism expenditure per capita was estimated at €899, a 30.1 per cent increase over 2020. On average, tourists increased the length of their visit by 0.7 nights, with the majority, 55.5 per cent, staying for seven days or more. tourists THE unemployment rate for August 2022 stood at 2.9 per cent, at par with the two preceding months and decreasing by 0.4 percentage points when compared with August 2021. During August 2022, the number of unem- ployed persons was 8,446, with the males and 25 to 74 age group being the major contributors to the overall level of unemployment. e sea- sonally adjusted number of unemployed youths amounted to 2,829, whereas those aged between 25 and 74 years stood at 5,617. For August 2022, the unemployment rate for males remained stable at 3.1 per cent. e rate for females stood at 2.6 per cent, unchanged when compared with the previous month. e unemployment rate for persons aged 15 to 24 years (youth unemployment rate) rose to 10.3 per cent, while the rate for those aged between 25 and 74 years dropped to 2.1 per cent. August 2022 unemployment rate steady at 2.9% 15-24 25-74 Males Females August 2,138 7,161 6,103 3,195 9,299 September 2,508 6,703 5,748 3,464 9,211 October 2,798 5,833 5,163 3,467 8,630 November 2,897 5,539 4,923 3,513 8,436 December 2,830 5,876 5,182 3,524 8,706 January 2,295 6,394 5,656 3,033 8,689 2022 2021 Month Table 2. Seasonally adjusted unemployment levels by age group, sex and month Total Sex Age group 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A 2020 2021 2022 per cent period 15 to 24 years 25 to 74 years Chart 2. Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate by age group Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate by age group Winter air seat capacity forecast at 91% of pre-pandemic levels "Ours today is a world where generations of globalised travellers, accustomed to unrestrained and affordable travel opportunitie, are facing the pressures and forces of change as our world adapts to new realities." - Carlo Micallef, MTA CEO

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