Tourism incentives need ‘clear messages’ to work - WTO secretary

Financial incentives to lure tourists to Malta should be coupled with “clear messages and guidelines” if they are to work, according to the World Tourism Organisation general secretary. In an interview with Times of Malta ahead of the island’s reopening to tourists on June 1, Zurab Pololikashvili said financial stimulus packages would only work if messages and guidelines are direct. “Such incentives will help Malta attract tourists, especially at a time of heightened competition when the demand for travel is on a rise,” he said, as Malta prepares to reopen the tourist season after the partial shutdown sparked by the pandemic. Last year, the government was heavily criticised for adopting a lax approach in early summer when the number of new COVID-19 infections had started to dwindle. According to Pololikashvili, the past year has been a steep learning curve for governments and the global tourism sector but expressed confidence Malta and the rest of Europe will have a better summer. “Much progress has been made since then, both in harmonising rules and regulations for safe international travel and on the virus itself. Thanks to the knowledge acquired and above all, the...