ADDRESS BY THE HON. MICHAEL REFALO, MINISTER FOR TOURISM, TO THE OFFICE NATIONAL DE GARANTIE DES SOURS ET STAGES LINGUISTIQUES GENERAL ASSEMBLY - FORUM INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, ST. ANDREWS. FRIDAY 23 MARCH 2001

Monsieur Hollier, Monsieur Mignon, Monsieur Stivala, Mesdames et Messieurs,

Tout d'abord, comme Monsieur Stivala avant moi, je vous sohaite la bienvenue a' Malte.

Je voudrais bien faire mon petit discours en francais, but as my fluency in your beautiful language has obvious limitations and especially as your meeting is all about the teaching of English as a foreign language, permit me to continue my address in English, which as you know, is one of Malta's official languages. The other being Maltese, our national language.

I thank you for your kind invitation to address your General Assembly. I understand that l'Office was established just over four years ago. That event coincided with certain qualitative changes in market forces and demand which possibly could also have been instrumental in bringing you together.

It was a time when the economic recession which had hit Europe a decade ago and driven customers to be more careful about their centimes and stretch their money as much as possible, had eased off. The recession made consumers more conscious of the value of their money and taught them to part with it only when convinced that they would receive good value in exchange.

Quality purchasing has become a priority and high on consumers' agenda. Very appropriately you came together as a group in response of the demands and expectations of a market for a quality product and made it your mission to provide tangible proof and the assurance of your commitment to quality.

No tourism product sells easily. Human frailty and error, the unexpected and the imponderable, are ever present. Whatever confidence one manages to inspire, whatever reputation one achieves, can, as easily crash and collapse because of mistakes which leave customers dissatisfied by the non-delivery of promised services.

There is a very fine balance here which must be sought, monitored and maintained. Although my Ministry, the Malta Tourism Authority and the vast majority of suppliers and service providers are very aware of the importance of providing service and value for money, there is no doubt that the failings of the few do impact most negatively on all the good achieved by the efforts of many.

One cannot afford to lose sight of the common good. Neither can one afford to close the Nelson eye. Much less actively or passively condone malpractice, and the more so, its wilful or negligent repetition.

Malta depends very much on tourism. The industry contributes about 25% to GNP, is responsible for the employment of one in every three persons in gainful employment, and provides government with over a fifth of its revenue. For the last two years we have hosted in excess of 1.2 million visitors whose spending fuels many facets of Maltese business and domestic life. There is no doubt that tourism's economic activity reaches and impacts on every sector of Maltese life.

In 1999 Parliament unanimously established the Malta Tourism Authority. This Organisation, whose focus and remit is much broader than that of its predecessor which was concerned mostly with the marketing and promotion of Malta overseas, is committed to quality and now equipped to enforce the ever higher standards set for the industry which it regulates.

The Authority is currently undertaking a complete re-assessment, review and regrading of tourism plant and setting conditions designed to further improve the quality of our offer. In parallel our Institute for Tourism Studies actively and qualitatively educates and trains hundreds of young students to inject the industry with a steady stream of new recruits. Certainly, we still have some way to go, but changes for the better are very noticeable.

Globalisation and an ever changing world tourism scenario complete with its acquisitions, mergers and take overs, have provoked strategy re-thinks and initiatives at restructuring to pre-empt and alternatively react to evolving market conditions.

For many years we relied very much on one major source market. We no longer do so and our diversification strategy shielded Malta's tourism from the disastrous effects of the economic recession in the UK. Likewise, as a small destination, we realise that heavy dependency on mega tour-operators is not conducive to Malta's tourism. While we welcome the big boys' investment and commitment to Malta, we give additional importance to middle range and small, specialist operators engaged in niche markets such as the one in which you operate.

My presence here this morning is to inform you of developments but more importantly to learn from your experiences. Malta is one of Europe's foremost destinations for the teaching of the English language, an area where Mr. Stivala has been actively engaged since his University days. He leads both his own Organisation as well as FELTOM which endeavours to uphold standards and Malta's reputation at the highest levels.

FELTOM was established some 12 years ago and its main objective has always been to ensure the quality of language stays. Under the patronage of both Education and Tourism ministries, Malta's Language Schools have a very sound pedagogic direction and in parallel constitute a strong niche market, one which draws over 35,000 young people, as well as the not so young, for English language stays to Malta.

In this latter category, the adult student, more often than not coming from the professional, business, executive and political milieu, Malta has achieved the leading position in Germany. Together with France, Scandinavia and Italy, the Federal Republic provides the majority of students for Maltese schools.

We have generated growing interest in the new democracies of eastern Europe and while Russia and the Ukraine already provide a steady stream, we see Poland as a potentially major source market. Further eastwards, we have begun to receive students from China as well as from Japan.

There are thirty licensed schools in the island of Malta and two on Gozo. All those who teach in them, numbering hundreds, hold a warrant. There are around 1000 families who host students.

Malta is a very safe and stable country. But we do have our bad eggs as well. I am immensely worried to learn about misadventures in which youngsters occasionally find themselves involved. Even small incidents have a habit of being inflated and embellished by additional fictional detail as news travels along the grape vine to give false impressions as fact enters the realm of story telling.

But then tourism thrives and dies through perceptions. Therefore, rather than minimising such occasional incidents and brushing them under the carpet there is perhaps the need to strengthen our regulatory framework especially where young students are involved.

We would much prefer youngsters to board with Maltese families rather than stay in hotels and apartments. But then it is actually up to parents to decide where their children should stay. We view host families as an extension of the classroom.

Maltese are very house proud. Houses are in the main spacious, comfortable and airy. Families are caring and devote much attention to their children's upbringing. As a nation we are renowned for being helpful, and enjoy mixing with others. Blessed by a wonderful climate that encourages everyone to enjoy life out of doors one inquires whether youngsters would willingly stay at home rather than meet their friends ?

Likewise one should ask whether, given the spaciousness of Maltese houses, the current system of licensing host families to accommodate up to four students should be reconsidered. I know that l'Office applies more numerically stringent parameters but then, one asks whether conditions in one EFL destination are common to others ? Would it not be preferable, that given the assurance of proper enforcement of desirable standards, that a more site specific approach is entertained ? That, ladies and gentlemen is for you to decide.

A final word and more information about France's position in our EFL niche market. France accounts for 13% of the total number of EFL students to Malta. We are present every year at Expolangue and feed back from there this year, despite the adversities caused by the transport strike, are encouraging. EFL students represent 6% of the total number of French visitors to Malta. Air Malta has put on increased capacity this year and I hope that that will register parallel visitor growth from France.

Perhaps, and I augur, that your visit here will be instrumental in strengthening the adult side of the French EFL market to Malta ? Although I say this before a French audience, despite all the EU's efforts at strengthening and maintaining national and even regional, minor languages, English seems to be fast becoming and consolidating its position as the lingua franca of Europe. This in essence primes and accords increasing potential to Malta's EFL operations.

And on this favourable note je vous souhaite un beau sejour a Malte.