Tourism minister inaugurates Hugo’s Boutique Hotel

Tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis officially inaugurated the new Hugo’s boutique hotel in St. Julian’s. The hotel represented a €10 million investmen.

Zammit Lewis added that the investment reflects the current major optimism surrounding the tourism industry, and that the tourism sector is currently enjoying a very convincing performance that is in turn generating an outstanding and better than expected return on investment.

Quoting NSO figures, the minister pointed out that last May registered a very strong increase of more than 10% over the same month of last year, reaching 192,000 tourists.

“As the traditional markets continue to grow as expected, it is very pleasing to note that other markets such as that from Germany, Scandinavia, The Netherlands, Spain and USA are registering very significant growths month after month,” he added.

Commending the latest initiative, Zammit Lewis spoke of the importance and the necessity to continue improving our touristic product by introducing innovative features whereby the guest rooms have their own unique theme and distinctive character and are equipped with an innovative room management system that puts the guest in complete control. 

Zammit Lewis also referred to the recent introduction of the eco-contribution tax, and he explained that all revenue generated from this contribution will solely and exclusively be directed towards the improvement and embellishment of the local infrastructure with the objective of improving the Maltese islands’ ‘product’ and to complement other government initiatives.

He added that the government was also committed to investing in human resources, with over 30 new jobs created in the past months. The minister also noted that discussions are underway with relevant stakeholders to secure their commitment towards measures designed to enhance the working conditions and the professional quality of the tourism workforce.