Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1538811
Advancing Malta's tourism: Connectivity, quality, and sustainable growth THIS IS A PAID COLLABORATION TOURISM is a dynamic sector which continues to show year-on-year growth, placing Malta amongst the top perform- ing destinations in the Mediterranean. It is one of the major pillars that positively impacts our economy and society. The key to finding the right balance between tourism growth and the resources at hand, is to continue focusing on sus- tainable tourism policies and models. In fact, Malta's commitment to sustaina- ble tourism is rooted in Malta's National Tourism Strategy 2021-2030 which has comprehensive strategies aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Develop- ment Goals (SDGs). The Strategy outlines Malta's vision for a tourism sector that is economically viable, environmentally responsible, and socially inclusive. Key priorities include promoting year-round tourism to reduce seasonality, diversifi- cation of the tourism product, improving the visitor experience, supporting quality, and integrating sustainability into all as- pects of tourism development. Moving forward on our growth requires us to continue building on our multi-fac- eted policy approach and continue shift- ing our focus on quality tourism. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, the Malta Tourism Authority and other entities within the public administration are working in this direction by encourag- ing the improvement of our connectivity options, diversifying our tourism product, reinforcing the capabilities of the work- force, promoting sustainable practices in our hospitality and tourism industry, as well as initiatives to improve data and statistics for policy making purposes. Malta continues with its strategy to encourage airlines to offer year-round flights on almost all routes. This contin- ues to ensure that Malta remains a year- round accessible destination, thereby reducing seasonality. The addition of flights via airlines such as Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways and LOT Polish Airlines continues to present Mal- ta with opportunities to improve on its quality experience by improving its con- nectivity and tapping into more diverse markets. Malta's strategy focuses on at- tracting a mix of tourists coming from short and long-haul destinations. In recent years, the Malta Tourism Au- thority continued to facilitate the diver- sification of the Maltese Islands' tourism offering by promoting various niche tour- ism sectors in order to enhance the overall quality of its tourism product and address issues of seasonality. Focusing on certain specific segments such as Religious Tour- ism, Luxury Tourism, Sports and Activity Tourism, Weddings Tourism, Wellness Tourism, MICE Tourism, Eco-Tourism, and Gastronomy attracts a certain cohort of visitors with different motivations. Having the right tools and data in hand is crucial to be able to predict behaviour and plan policies according to the targets and the demand. This is being done through the devel- opment of an AI in Tourism Platform that combines traditional survey-based statistics with new and diversified data sources, including big data. This Platform will enable leveraging advanced data an- alytics to analyse tourist behaviour, im- prove decision-making, and supporting real-time recommendations. With the support of the OECD under the EU's Technical Support Instrument (TSI), Malta has also developed Tourism Sustainability Indicators. These indica- tors provide a data-driven approach to tourism governance which will enable in- formed and enhanced sustainable tour- ism decision-making. Government, through the Institute of Tourism Studies, has also continued with the implementation of the Skills Pass, which aims at improving the qual- ity of the tourism offering by having a more skilled workforce. The Malta Tour- ism Authority will also be upskilling the tourism workforce through the 'Tourism Excellence Malta' project, which will be co-financed through the European Social Fund Plus. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 AUGUST 2025