A major economic contributor of the Maltese economy is tourism, rendering directly and indirectly approximately 30% of the GDP and employing a significant amount of people. Following years of recurrent record growth, bolstered by the country´s enhanced connectivity and its reduced seasonality, Malta experienced an unprecedented dip in performance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Maltese tourism sector also faces a number of challenges, such as integrating quality at all levels of the value chain, rebuilding the airline route network, and encouraging collaboration across diverse digital tourism efforts by consolidating and effectively using data. Tourism recovery needs to take into consideration these challenges, along with the new demands of the post-COVID-19 reality and the accelerated effects of climate change that pose direct threats on tourism. This will require a shift away from the previous economic model, implying more sustainable approaches for development.

A Peer learning workshop on Sustainable Pathways for the Tourism Industry in Malta promoted in May 2022 brought together important players in the Maltese tourism sector with relevant stakeholders from across Europe to share experiences, practices, high-tech solutions, along with ESPON research evidence to empower sustainable tourism routes in Malta.

The video recordings of the event presentations and the panel discussion involving key representatives from the Maltese tourism sector are now available, along with a visual material on the displayed sustainability solutions for the hospitality industry. Please access these via the below links.

 

Visual Material - Technologies and Frameworks for a Sustainable Hospitality Industry