Déjà vu for tourism operators

It is certainly not the best time to define a strategy for an industry. This is especially true for the hospitality industry, which has suffered the worst effects of COVID.

However, Malta’s tourism strategy had shown signs of distress long before the pandemic broke out. A discussion paper has just been published on how tourism policy sees the industry transforming over the next decade.

The Malta Tourism Authority’s strategy document entitled Recover, Rethink, Revitalize has a number of important advantages. It conducts an objective assessment of the impact COVID has had and could have on local tourism in the coming years.

It also identifies the serious shortcomings in the industry’s current business model that have equated success with visitor numbers for too long. The MTA has celebrated breaking records like this on social media for too long.

It seems to recognize, however, that this business model is unsustainable as it ignores the social and economic impact of promoting growth at almost any cost.

Despite the smooth presentation, which aims to make this document credible, tourism companies need to develop a sense of déjà vu when analyzing the policy recommendations.

There is no shortage of buzzwords, buzzwords and attempts to incorporate the latest best practices on what should stimulate growth in the EU in the next decade and beyond. This document contains numerous references to climate change, green initiatives, maximizing value and sustainability.

The MTA strategy document lists various goals that superficially define the direction of the industry over the next decade. However, there is a lack of clear and quantifiable goals that must be achieved for this strategy to be successful.

For too long we’ve heard the importance of embedding quality in all processes that affect the visitor experience. No wonder then that this strategy document is still looking for the holy grail of quality tourism.

Pouring old wine into new bottles is unlikely to help the industry overcome its challenges. The draft strategy rejected the “retrench” option – a lower level of tourism would be beneficial for both the local population and visitor satisfaction. This approach is referred to as “simple” and “volatile”.

Indeed, an overpopulated island with ongoing construction projects now defacing even the few remaining old village centers must consider withdrawing from this obsession with overdevelopment.

Despite the textbook arguments of this strategy document on what a sustainable tourism strategy should look like, reading it creates the impression that the political decision-makers are not ready to leave their comfort zone. It takes political courage to take risks associated with doing the right thing in an industry that has a significant impact on the economy.

If one distills the narrative of this 58-page document, it becomes clear that the lack of clear benchmarks and milestones indicates a subtle “more of the same” approach to managing this industry.

The greatest risk of failure in achieving quality in tourism is not a lack of understanding of what to do.

The greatest risk is the lack of political will to define and implement clear and effective measures to embed quality in all industry processes.

This strategy document for the tourism industry has several advantages. However, it does not set challenging and quantifiable goals, which affects credibility.

One can only hope that the consultation phase will help policymakers to address the weaknesses in this draft document.

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