OPEN LETTER
TO
MR. KARMENU VELLA(MINISTER OF TOURISM)
By Joseph Vella of Claremont, California.
I am a United States national of Maltese birth, recently retired after forty years of service working for the computer software industry. I have traveled and worked around the world, particularly in the Orient and Middle East, and have taken many sentimental trips to my native island, en-route to or from other destinations. It is rare indeed I write in favor of expounding a particular cause, but I am making an exception in this instance, because of my strong bond and abiding love for Malta. My comments are not meant to be critical in a negative way. Instead I offer constructive ideas, which in my esteemed opinion, are paramount in gaining a market edge in the selling of Malta within a brutally competitive field. You may observe that my trend of thought favors quality over quantity, in terms of attracting more people of discriminating taste and solid financial means, to visit our beautified and romantic paradise island. Indeed, some if not all my suggestions might already have been examined in depth, in which case I apologize for needlessly taking up so much of your valuable time.I am much aware that by virtue of its small size and limited natural resources, Malta has a modest budget with which to launch and sustain an effective international public relations campaign, in competition with other countries blessed with virtually unlimited advertising funds. The answer is to encounter this shortcoming with ingenuity, common sense and the selective expenditures of money earmarked for promotion of tourism. Fortunately no one country has a monopoly on creative selling regardless of monetary advantage. What better way is there, then to enhance the image of Malta as a niche market for young romantics and affluent senior citizens, with the ability to travel without constraint of time. A good start is to tap the multi-million dollar market of expandable savings represented by members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), as a potential lucrative source of new business.
What Malta has in abundance is providential scenic beauty and a millennium of history per square mile unmatched by most other places. These attractions can and should be further enhanced with man made beautification projects, costing little relative to return on investment. One such image-related project would be to plant subtropical palm trees, or other species of trees and shrubs which prosper in the Mediterranean region. Areas of choice would include roundabouts, street medians, and particularly the beautiful Sliema strand and other prominent sea fronts, where tourists and locals alike love to gather and stroll. Palms come in a wide variety of shape and size. They are stately and spectacular in appearance, are wind resistant, require little maintenance, and best of all need modest watering.
I propose for consideration the enactment of a tax credit on earned income, in favor of Maltese or foreign business establishments who donate proceeds to plant/maintain trees and shrubs, within public parks and recreational areas. As a further incentive the Government can match philanthropic donations lira for lira, or in some other proportional arrangement. Imagine for a moment an idyllic tree lined Malta, favorably holding its own against other less verdant Mediterranean islands, or even lush tropical Hawaii.
A related endeavor would be to build a world class thickly turfed eighteen hole golf course, irrigated by recycled or desalinated water, such as being done in dry desert regions like Palm Springs or San Diego California, USA. Golf is a sport of choice for the idle rich and wealthy from Europe, North America and the Far East. Here again I propose a Government subsidy or incentive package to attract local or foreign venture capital for construction of facilities built to meet or exceed world standards. The greening of Malta is an absolute necessity to attract and keep captive sophisticated world travelers. The Internet (Malta Home Page) is an ideal way to advertise worldwide the whole range of investment incentives awaiting entrepreneurs wishing to establish a viable presence in Malta.
E-mail to Joseph Vella.