President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca addressed a tourism forum, organised by the Malta Tourism Authority and the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation in Istanbul, as part of her engagements during the state visit in Turkey.
The President shared her belief that sustainable tourism is a form of tangible diplomacy, not only bringing people in contact with one another, but also, building respect among diverse people and valuing their human dignity, adding that, “sustainable tourism for peace and prosperity is at the heart of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation,” of which the President is patron.
President Coleiro Preca said that, as countries sharing the Mediterranean Sea, Malta and Turkey, have the potential to work together, to ensure that our region remains a top destination for visitors from all over the world.
Quoting the latest indicators from the World Economic Forum, the President said that tourism and hospitality, have the ability, “to boost the competitiveness of our economies and enhance economic opportunities, for the benefit of our respective peoples.”
“The tourism sector in both our countries, is one of the strongest pillars of our economies.”
The President said the tourism sector of both Malta and Turkey has been built on the authentic values of our respective identities, which include the celebration of our nations’ diversity, the richness of the Mediterranean heritage, and the commitment to provide top quality hospitality.
“We should not perceive each other as competitors in the region. We are not, due to our individual uniqueness. I believe that collaborating in this sector, can bring to both our countries, and our region, a substantial increase of visitors from other regions of the world,” President Coleiro Preca stated, whilst adding that Malta and Turkey, are best placed in our region, to explore possibilities of collaboration, “because we are also very well connected” – with Turkish Airlines being a global connector and Air Malta being a Euro-Mediterranean connector.
The President also mentioned that there are also bilateral possibilities to increase tourist traffic between the two countries, as Malta offers a reputable educational tourism sector, for language learning services, as well as for medical training.
“I believe that there is so much potential for Maltese and Turkish stakeholders in the tourism industry.”
President Coleiro Preca said that the tourism industry has the ability to bring socio-economic wellbeing to communities and societies as a whole.
“As Special Ambassador of the UNWTO for Sustainable Tourism, I would like to highlight the need that the tourism sector takes into consideration the sustainability of our planet. Each and every one of us is responsible for the wellbeing of our future generations,” the President said.
In light of this, she encouraged those present, and all the people in the tourism sector, to ensure “that we invest in a responsible way, in the sector,” so as to also achieve the full mandate of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and in particular SDG 8, Target 9, which focuses on the importance of sustainable economies and tourism – and which states that:
“By 2030, we must devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.”
The President stated that a well-planned, well-regulated, and responsible tourism sector can create an excellent mechanism that channels resources equitably, for the benefit of all our communities, adding that she is confident that there are ample opportunities for Malta and Turkey to work together, share best practices with one another, and learn from each other.
“In this way, we will be encouraging positive development, not just for our two countries, but also for the Euro-Mediterranean Region and beyond,” President Coleiro Preca concluded.
The Tourism Forum in Istanbul was also addressed by Minister for Tourism, Konrad Mizzi, and the Turkish Minister for Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.