National Strategic Reference Framework

MALTA – National Strategic Reference Framework 2007-2013 Draft Document for Consultation
enterprises are engaged in traditional crafts that have a direct relevance to the Maltese
heritage. Efforts will be undertaken to promote the sector and its linkages with the rest of
economic activity be it tourism or manufacturing.
Sustaining the tourism industry and the promotion of the cultural heritage
Tourism is one of the main pillars of economic activity in Malta. Every effort will be
directed at consolidating and improving the contribution of this industry to the socio
economic well being of the Maltese islands and their people. Tourist arrivals are, in part,
compensating for the aggregate volume losses with the industry’s traditional seasonal
concentration in the summer period persisting and even increasing in relative terms.
Clearly, distinct efforts are required from Malta to diversify the traditional seasonal
dependence. Malta has managed to penetrate the market for a number of segments with
the result that tourists visit Malta for different motivations, primarily for a holiday but
also for language learning, for diving and to practice other sports, for conferences and
incentives, for cruising, for experiencing and appreciating the country’s wealth of cultural
heritage. In the context of increasing competition in Mediterranean tourism driven by the
more aggressive market presence of emerging destinations, Malta needs to address its
current perceived narrow offering in this area (‘sun, sea, and sand destination’). This can
only be done through the marketing and branding of Malta in its source markets, through
efforts at product development and investment in cultural heritage, through the
valorization of Malta’s culture and through the further investment in human resources
working in the tourism and creative industries.
The investment in ‘public sector’ measures needs to be complemented by direct support
to the sector. The rationale for supporting tourism enterprises is based on the need to
increase the competitiveness of tourism service providers, to stimulate and direct
investment by the private sector and spearhead investment in human resources.
Support to tourism enterprises to conduct their own marketing activities is
complementary to the country’s destination marketing. Efforts have to be made to create
an image and raise awareness of Malta as a tourism destination among potential travelers.
This is even more the case in Gozo. Tourism enterprises must conduct their own
marketing activities in order to build this image of Malta and sell their services in the
source markets they tap, particularly for visits to Malta in the off-peak period. A high
proportion of enterprises conduct traditional marketing activities with only a few
adopting more innovative marketing approaches. Investment in E-services being offered
by the tourism enterprises needs to be supported alongside e-mentoring programmes for
the tourism industry
In order to be competitive tourism enterprises must improve their cost structures and
adopt a more entrepreneurial approach. To achieve this, tourism enterprises must be
encouraged to be more innovative in the way they conduct business, in their planning and
investment processes. Enterprises need to be encouraged to invest in environmental