At the Auberge de Castille, Prime Minister Robert Abela held a consultative meeting ahead of Budget 2027 with members of the Association of Catering Establishments, ACE. During the meeting, ACE presented their proposals for Budget 2027 and the sector’s priorities for the coming months were also discussed.
The Prime Minister stressed that the catering sector plays an important role in our country’s economy and is also an integral part of the tourism product and the identity of Malta and Gozo. The owners of the establishments, the workers and all the professionals who work in this sector are contributing daily to an experience that goes beyond the purely culinary one.
Through their service and hospitality, they are continuing to strengthen Maltese culture, traditions and hospitality among all those who visit our country, while also offering a quality experience to residents who choose to visit their establishments.
Dr Abela stated that the Government is committed to ensuring that the tourism sector continues to move towards a model increasingly based on quality, value and sustainability. He added that, as this sector is achieving positive results, work needs to continue to build on this success in a sustainable manner, with an increasing emphasis on quality, economic value and benefit for communities.
In this context, the Prime Minister referred to the work that is intensifying so that tourism success is not measured only by the number of arrivals, but also by the quality of the experience, the economic value created and the benefits left in the areas and communities that welcome visitors.
The Prime Minister stressed that, in order for our country to continue to build on this success, the Government is committed to continuing to invest in people, workers and their skills, as well as to continuing to support quality private investment.
Accompanying the Prime Minister for this meeting were Ministers Anton Refalo, Silvio Schembri, Miriam Dalli, Clyde Caruana, Jo Etienne Abela, Alison Zerafa Civelli and Malcolm Paul Agius Galea and the Head of the Secretariat of the Office of the Prime Minister, Mark Mallia.
