Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo is skeptical of a proposition to extend Malta’s ferry services to countries such as Italy and Greece put forward by the Nationalist Party.

“This is on their wish list. It doesn’t have a budget and they don’t know how much we’re going to spend and how much return it will have for the country,” Bartolo said at a press conference earlier today.

Earlier this week, Shadow Tourism Minister Robert Arrigo published a policy document to help kick start the island’s struggling industry. 

As part of the set of proposals, Arrigo said Malta should extend its ferry routes to new destinations including Northern Italy (such as Genova and Livorno), Southern Italy (such as Naples), and the Port of Piraeus in Greece.

However, the proposal’s lack of detail was a pain point for Bartolo.

“What’s most important for us is that people see that the government’s money is being spent responsibly and that it yields returns,” he said.

Earlier today, Bartolo announced two new schemes for foreign tourists travelling to Malta this summer in which they can apply for €100 vouchers to be used on diving and sports activities.

The €100 diving vouchers will be made available for foreign tourists as of June and can be used at all diving centres across the islands.

The €100 sports vouchers will be made available to tourists as of July and can be used on sporting activities accredited by SportsMalta.

Should Malta extend its ferry services to more foreign countries? Let us know below