In the presence of the representatives of the hotels and restaurants in our country, the Prime Minister Robert Abela insisted that for the country to have sustainable and quality tourism bold and ambitious decisions need to be made.
He said this during a pre-Budget consultation meeting with the Association for Hotels and Restaurants, the MHRA, as they discussed the tourism sector and the reforms that will come into force.
Dr. Abela said that today we can talk about quality tourism because we have recovered strongly after the pandemic. He said that now, to invest in quality, we cannot give shocks to the sector and therefore the Government will continue to keep energy prices stable. The Prime Minister described this decision as crucial for the operation of hotels and restaurants in the country.
He mentioned the investment in the skills of workers in this sector and how this will lead to quality in the service provided in the industry. Here he referred to the reform of the Skills Passport which will be ensuring this. In fact, a decision taken by the Cabinet will mean that workers in the tourism sector go through a specific course before being given permission to work in our country and this is also with the aim of strengthening the Maltese and Gozitan product offered to tourists and the consumers in our country.
Regarding the national airline he said that even here the decisions that had to be taken were taken. “We had the courage to take decisions in the interest of our country,” stressed Dr. Abela.
Another aspect of quality in the tourism sector is the maintenance of the country. Here the Prime Minister announced that in order to further improve the tourist product, a capital investment of €5 million will be made in European funds in cleaning machinery. In this way quality is present not only in the provision of the service but in the place where the service is provided.
Meanwhile, in another consultation meeting, this time with the United Workers Union, the strengthening of the labor market was also discussed. “We are working on short-term and other long-term measures so that our workers have the necessary skills, while keeping the unemployment rate among the lowest in the euro zone,” said the Prime Minister.
He said that the coming Budget will be one of consolidation, where it will continue to strengthen the economy, it will continue to be supportive for businesses and it will continue to weigh on workers and families. The consultation meetings were attended by the Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, the Minister for Finance and Work Clyde Caruana, the Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo, the Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri, the Minister for Inclusion, Volunteering and Consumer Rights Julia Farrugia Portelli, the Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue Andy Ellul and Government Deputies Ray Abela and Davina Sammut Hili.
Photos: OPM
