WATCH | Quality and quantity tourism can go together, Robert Abela insists

Prime Minister Robert Abela has pushed back against suggestions that the government's stated goal of quality tourism is at odds with rising visitor numbers, saying both elements are necessary.

He was replying to a MaltaToday question shortly after presiding over a press conference welcoming the arrival of Delta Air Lines' first direct flight between New York and Malta. Abela insisted the direct flight between the US and Malta was a sign that government's strategy is working.

Asked whether the quality-over-quantity approach would ever be reflected in practice, Abela said a critical mass of visitors remained necessary, but that the real shift was towards tourists who spend more, stay longer, and use higher-rated accommodation.

"The way I see it, the sector is one from which everyone must live, both Gozitans and Maltese, those who invested in a certain level of accommodation and those who invested in higher-end accommodation," he said.

Abela pointed to a new legislative framework now regulating the hospitality sector, describing it as "a tough but necessary" decision. "I am very pleased to see the sector absorb that same vision," he said, noting that industry stakeholders had been involved in drafting it.

He stressed that tourism must not become a burden on the Maltese people, but rather something they benefit from. "Events like today's, the fact that Delta Airlines operated their first flight, with three flights a week throughout the summer months, will seriously contribute to bringing quality tourism to our country," he said.

Abela said Malta's strong reputation had made a "dream" like Monday's possible. "Until a few months or years ago, it seemed difficult to materialise. Today we have delivered it," he said, adding that the sector's success should be measured not only in arrival numbers but in the added value it contributes to the broader economy.

He also credited the strengthened Malta Tourism Authority and Visit Malta for the progress made in recent years and said he was confident the country's newly appointed tourism minister would continue building on those results.

In the wake of the general election, Abela appointed former Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela as tourism minister.