Development of Sea Passenger Terminal at Valletta

At a meeting held today with the Prime Minister, Dr.Alfred Sant,at which Dr George Vella, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Environment andMr Joe Debono Grech, Minister for Transport and Ports, were also present; aCommittee was set-up and entrusted with the task of preparing a developmentbrief and a call for expressions of public interest in the development of a SeaPassenger Terminal for the port of Valletta.

The New Initiatives Projects Group, in its October 1997 report,submitted to the Prime Minister, had made it clear that Cruise Tourism isprobably the fastest-growing tourism niche and that Malta mustgrasp the opportunity to take its fair share of the growing cruise tourismmarket.

The report underlined that whilst Malta has unique advantages whichneed to be acknowledged, developed and marketed, it however has poor seaterminal facilities which are certainly inadequate for cruise-type clientele,especially if they have to share the terminal with passenger ferries.

The Committee will be chaired by Dr EdwardWoods, Chairman of the Malta Maritime Authority, and will include Mr AlfredMifsud , Chairman Mid-Med Bank, Mr J R Aquilina, representing the Ministry forTransport and Ports, Mr George Micallef, representing the Ministry of Tourismand Mr Conrad Thake, representing the Planning Authority.