WELCOME SPEECH BY HON. MICHAEL REFALO, MINISTER FOR TOURISM, ON THE OCCASION OF SOWA KIMONO GROUP'S VISIT TO MALTA - THE MEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCE CENTRE

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I extend a very special welcome to our visitors here with us this afternoon from Sowa Kimono Tours.

You are here as the ambassadors of your exotic and wonderful country, steeped in history and culture, and at the same time one of the leading industrialised nations of the world. Thank you for coming to visit us and I hope that you have enjoyed what you have already seen and will continue to enjoy the rest of your programme in Malta, a country, which like yours, is an archipelago, made up, albeit on a much, much, smaller scale, of a number of islands.

Islands at the heart of the Mediterranean. Firmly part of Europe, but also stepping stones to the still, quasi dormant and exciting energies of the African continent. As we are so strategically placed and have been coveted by nations, that throughout seven thousand years sought to dominate the major sea lane of the ancient world, Malta and generations of Maltese have witnessed the march of man in this cradle of civilisation throughout many millennia.

Like you we have a long and varied history, as well as very visual evidence of the peoples and foreign dominations that ruled over us until we gained independence in 1964.

This huge edifice was formerly the hospital of the Order of the Knights of St. John, also known because of their 268 year reign over Malta, as the Knights of Malta. It was built by Grand Master La Cassiere in 1573, very soon after the founding of Valletta. From a centre of excellence in medicine and surgery, much in demand in times of war, we, today's generation of Maltese, have converted the building into one of Europe's most beautiful conference centres to serve the interests of tourism, the industry of peace and friendship among nations.

Tourism is Malta's largest industry. It is our life blood and a quarter of our economy, a third of our workforce and a fifth of government income, depend on

its continued success. From small beginnings some forty years ago, when no one even thought of attracting visitors from as far away as Japan, tourism has grown and grown. So much so that today, for ecological, environmental and spatial reasons, it is sometimes that very growth that needs to be regulated and not over encouraged.

Malta's interest in the Japanese market is relatively recent. It goes back to the early nineties. It has been a decade of spectacular success and which, according to the latest European Travel Commission forecast, is anticipated to continue. Malta leads the nations of Europe, not in volume terms, but because our growth rate from a market that mainly visits outside the summer months and predominantly stays in our best hotels, is forecast at 15% per annum.

These results have not been achieved by chance and I must publicly thank the Malta Tourism Authority, our representative in Japan, Mr. Miko Endo, all those who have invested time, money and effort in promoting Malta in Japan, including the directors and staff of Special Interest Travel (SIT), who were instrumental in bringing you over to enjoy our mild autumn sunshine while the rest of Europe freezes and drowns in rain.

I thank you again for choosing Malta for your vacation. I hope that during your stay you have enjoyed meeting Maltese, learned much about Malta, its history and its people, and trust that as you came to us so successfully as ambassadors of your country, of your culture and history, that you will now return to Japan, as successfully, this time as ambassadors of Malta, of the Maltese people, of our history and culture.