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Kurt Sansone
The Labour Party has a nascent internal debate going on over the construction of an airstrip in Gozo with the draft policy document on tourism suggesting that if a subsidised helicopter service does not succeed, another mode of air transport will be considered.
But Labour leader Alfred Sant yesterday applied the breaks on the whole issue, saying the party wanted to leave a window of opportunity “just in case” a subsidised helicopter service did not take off the ground.
Asked by MaltaToday whether the Labour Party was re-opening a debate on the utility of an airstrip in Gozo, a suggestion championed by Gozitan MP Anton Refalo (see story on page 7), Sant said that according to the information at hand even a fixed wing operation between both islands would need to be subsidised to succeed.
“In a situation where subsidies would be required irrespective of whether the service was run by helicopter or an airplane, a Labour government would opt for a helicopter service. We would subsidise the service to offer advantageous and competitive prices, unlike what is happening now,” Sant said. He is confident a properly subsidised helicopter service could survive.
And according to MLP tourism spokesperson Evarist Bartolo, the viability of an airstrip would still have to be evaluated. “From the experience on other islands, an airstrip for purely domestic use would not be viable and will eventually have to be opened up to international air transport with all the consequences that will bring,” Bartolo said, cautioning against a rushed decision to substitute a helicopter service with a fixed wing operation.
The Labour Party yesterday presented its draft policy on tourism, a document that will be up for discussion in the coming weeks before final approval at the general conference in January.
Labour leader Alfred Sant presented the 29-pages of policy, economically printed out on both sides of each page, and bound together in a plastic blue folder, introducing it as “a holistic approach towards improving the tourism product within the context of a strategic vision.”
A cardinal point of the document is the proposal to reduce the level of taxation on the sector but apart from berating the introduction of VAT at 18 per cent on restaurants, the draft policy does not identify which taxes or by how much they will be reduced.
The document speaks in favour of the introduction of low cost airlines but for the MLP it is imperative that these operate on a “level playing field.”
Air Malta is considered to be an important tool for the tourism sector and the document speaks of the need for the company to be able to compete in a liberalised and competitive environment. To this end a Labour government would “help Air Malta change as is necessary to survive and succeed.”
The document embraces the notion that the sea and sun tourist is an important factor for the sector and should be nurtured.
It also speaks of quality tourists, roping in the notion of agri-tourism and the need to have adequate and safe country walks.
As for golf, the document says the Marsa course should be upgraded to international level, a new course be constructed at Maghtab and another one in Gozo. Ta’ Cenc is not mentioned by name. Responding to a question from MaltaToday, Sant reiterated his party’s stand that golf courses should be stand-alone developments without the need for residential development.
ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt
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