The recommendations are meant to stimulate further discussions with industry stakeholders.

An assessment of three & two star accommodation in Malta

On Monday 7 May 2007, the Malta Tourism Authority presented the findings and recommendations of "An assessment of three & two star accommodation in Malta" to 3 and 2-star hotel owners and managers, members of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association. This study was commissioned by the MTA and carried out by Tourism Consultant George Micallef supported by officials from MTA's Marketing Support & Development, Product Planning & Regulatory Divisions.

The purpose of the assessment was to identify and list the different issues affecting the 3 and 2 star hotels sector in the Maltese Islands, to provide a set of recommendations for consideration by the Ministry for Tourism and MTA, together with MHRA and other stakeholders, and to identify actions which can be immediately implemented whilst making other recommendations that may be applied in the medium and long term.

It was based on a thorough evaluation of events shaping the current situation prevailing in the Maltese accommodation sector, the application of the impact of international trends on accommodation demand in Malta and the results emerging from a number of different surveys of both tourism supply and demand carried out during April 2007.

Recommendations stem from an assessment of the prevailing issues and are meant to stimulate further discussions with industry stakeholders and to add further suggestions for consideration.

The recommendations emerging from the exercise will now for the basis of a discussion between the organisations concerned, on the basis of which a set of actions will be drawn. The report suggests that the Ministry for Tourism and Culture and the MTA appoints individuals or task teams to draw precise schemes for implementation within a short pre-established timeframe, starting from those that can be actioned immediately or in the short term. The finalisation of this report is one step towards the realization of the task set out in the Tourism Plan for Malta & Gozo, which states that:

We will improve and promote the profile of three star and lower accommodation establishments and help them to market their services