Letters | Wednesday, 03 September 2008

NSO statistics prove otherwise

I refer to the article entitled “July tourism registers drop over last year” carried in the edition of 27 August and would like to clarify the following:
Your correspondent claims that in an interview with the Business Today on 23 July of this year, the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Dr Mario de Marco, was optimistic that “the double-digit growth rates experienced in the first part of the year would continue in July”. I have to point out that your correspondent’s assertion is incorrect and misleading in that Dr de Marco only opined in the interview that indications showed that we could maintain and possible improve last year’s figures for July. It is indeed ironic that in order to prove his point your correspondent quotes directly from the 23 July interview wherein Dr de Marco clearly states that “Even when you take into account all the factors working against us, indications are showing that we are very likely to reach last year’s figures for July and possibly also beat them”
Official NSO statistics for the month of July published on Friday, 29 August 2008, have shown that Dr de Marco’s reading of the situation correct. In fact it results from the said NSO statistics that in July of this year we have registered a 1.2 per cent increase in tourist arrivals over the same month last year. In addition the total nights spent has also increased by 5.2 per cent. A comparison between figures for the period January to July moreover shows that arrivals are up 11.9 per cent whilst overnight stays are 7 per cent more than the corresponding period last year (which was a record year in tourism).
Success in tourism should and will not be taken for granted. It requires the concerted effort of all stakeholders, including the Government, the Malta Tourism Authority, the private sector and, at the end of the day, all of us to ensure that Malta remains a competitive and attractive destination for our guests.

Jesmond Schembri
Private Secretary to the Parliamentary Secretary

Editorial note:
The article Mr Schembri refers to reported figures based on a survey carried out by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), published prior to the issue of NSO statistics mentioned in the letter above. With regards to the correspondent’s assertion that Dr de Marco was optimistic about “double-digit growth rates experienced in the first part of the year would continue in July”, it is noted that the line should have read: “optimistic that growth, as experienced in the first part of the year, would be registered in the month of July also.” The error is regretted.