MHRA welcomes government’s commitment to making Malta ‘regional leader’

The budget for 2018 continued to cement Malta’s commitment to becoming a regional leader as it introduced further investing in infrastructure and embarked on a number of social initiatives, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said tonight.

In a statement reacting to the budget speech presented in parliament, the MHRA said the government’s programme would go a long way to enhance the tourism product and improve the quality of life for locals and tourists alike.

“Specifically, MHRA welcomes fiscal consolidation, the increase in the budget for the Malta Tourism Authority and measures that aim to improve the long-term sustainability of the general environment,” it said.

The MHRA called on Government to implement concrete measures to address the issue of irregular and unlicensed accommodation and other services, which are creating an unfair level playing field for legitimate businesses and resulting into millions of euro in forfeited revenues for Government.

It recognised Government’s efforts towards achieving progressive growth in the tourism sector and said it was looking forward to working with the Ministry for Tourism to revisit the current national tourism policy with the aim to ensure long-term sustainability.