Development of Sustainable Tourism in Malta in the Aftermath of the Global Economic Recession

Abstract

Tourism is an important sector of the economy in Malta and was affected by the economic recession of 2008–2011. Maltese economic development strategies and policy reacted to the recession by promoting sustainable tourism. This paper analyses the evolutionary path of the economic development of tourism in three ways. Firstly, comparative analyses of small island economies show the relative impact that the global recession had on tourism in Malta as measured by the number of tourists, size of employment in tourism, and changes in the amount of expenditures in tourism. The main aim of the article is to answer the question: How did the Maltese tourism sector react to the global economic crisis when compared with other small island territories? The mixed methodology used in this paper includes: literature review, statistical data analysis and analysis of expert opinion surveys with tourism administration representatives. JEL: L83 null The creation of the English-language version of these publications is financed in the framework of contract No. 607/P-DUN/2018 by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education committed to activities aimed at the promotion of education.

Keywords

• sustainable tourism
• Malta
• tourism economy
• island territory
• global economic crisis