Spotlight on… second edition of the Malta Tourism Awards

You hold two very significant roles: deputy CEO of Visit Malta and managing director of the Malta Tourism Observatory. For our international education audience, could you briefly explain the distinction between these two organisations?

Visit Malta is the national organisation established by law to regulate and market tourism. It is the authoritative body for tourism matters, set up in 1999 through an Act of Parliament under the Ministry for Tourism, with responsibility for managing both tourism supply and demand.

As local and international tourism progress, sustainability is becoming increasingly relevant, given that tourism growth has impacts on heritage, places, people, and emissions.

The Malta Tourism Observatory was subsequently established to place a strong, professional emphasis on sustainable tourism. So, while Visit Malta handles the day-to-day management and strategic planning of tourism, the Malta Tourism Observatory focuses specifically on planning for the future of tourism – embedding sustainability into its core thinking and placing a continuous emphasis on sustainability and sustainable tourism.

How do they work together – specifically when it comes to managing and promoting a sector as complex as English language teaching (ELT)?

From the Visit Malta side, my main area of responsibility is strategic development, which involves constantly updating the tourism strategy. There’s also the research unit, which is very important because it generates a wealth of information to support our thinking and help us understand the situation.

When we look at ELT from the Visit Malta dimension I mentioned, the sector in Malta is clearly considered very important. It’s a long-established, highly specialised niche that has evolved over time and continues to deliver high-quality tourists year-round.

From a strategic perspective, we always give the ELT segment a lot of importance because it is one of the pillars of our tourism diversification

From a strategic perspective, we always give the ELT segment a lot of importance because it is one of the pillars of our tourism diversification. From the Observatory perspective and the research perspective, we measure performance regularly, monitor developments as they happen, and ensure that Malta maintains the competitiveness of the sector.

So what we are seeing is an enhanced analytical capability, so that on one hand the ELT segment remains strongly embedded in our thinking, and on the other hand we can make decisions based on information that is collected and produced. This is where both perspectives come together.

As I said, the Observatory has a huge focus on sustainability, so in every sector – and by that I mean every segment, including ELT – we are looking for ways to help these segments evolve into a more sustainable type of tourism.

With over 60 years of history, the ELT sector in Malta has long been supported by the Visit Malta. How has the ELT segment evolved over the years, and what role does it play in the country’s tourism strategy today?

Obviously, the sector owes its origins to the fact that Malta was a British colony, and English became a very widely spoken language in Malta. In fact, in our constitution, both Maltese and English have official status. So we are officially a bilingual country.

English is very useful and very different from Maltese, which is part of our identity. Maltese is a unique language spoken by around half a million people only – it’s a very small minority language that has been given a strong honour by becoming an official language of the European Union.

English is an international language, and the fact that we have it as an official language of Malta gives us an advantage as the world becomes more globalised, because that aids international cooperation, international trade, travel – you name it. Because of the colonial connection, the ELT sector was born in the late 70s or early 80s.

Initially, in a very informal way, teachers of English who were on summer holiday would rent classrooms in their schools – which were closed for the season – and offer courses to young children coming from abroad. Malta’s safety was always something that worked to our advantage; people had no hesitation in sending their young children to learn English here.

Over the years, however, the sector evolved. Instead of depending on a few individuals and on makeshift classrooms in existing schools, proper schools were built, courses were designed, and Malta moved into the mainstream of teaching English as a foreign language, with full-time teachers, specific courses, and so on.

In the beginning, the two main characteristics of the market were that it was heavily a summer market, and the average age of the students was very young – they were secondary school students and sometimes even primary school students. That has changed, for a number of reasons.

If we look at Europe, where most of the young students used to come from, English is now taught in many of these countries from a very young age, so that cohort does not really exist anymore – they don’t need to come here to hear English for the first time.

Secondly, the business has become more sophisticated, with all the investments required to ensure a continuous presence of students. The market has widened considerably. Today, we get students from farther away – from Asia, Central America, Latin America, for example. They come here for long stays.

We also have shorter courses for people arriving from nearby destinations. In the past few years, there has also been a development of specialised courses, such as Aviation English, Political Communication English, Legal English, and so on. These are aimed at an older, highly specialised audience, with numerous small classes.

This target audience ensures that the segment continues to evolve and adapt, because it would have failed if the very young student market had dried up. So it’s all about adaptation.

As part of last week’s second edition of the Malta Tourism Awards, one of the categories within the ELT segment is ‘Responsible Tourism Development: Best English Language Learning’. What inspired the Authority to recognise this specifically within the ELT sector, and what are the key criteria for this category?

As you rightly say, we have just held the second edition of the Malta Tourism Awards. The awards are there to identify and reward high-quality service and products. Part of the focus is on physical infrastructure, and the other part focuses on the human dimension.

The aim of the Tourism Awards is to promote excellence and to encourage responsible tourism, which comes in many forms. It can be responsible from an environmental perspective and from a social perspective.

It can also be responsible from an investment perspective. ELT is a very specific and long-standing sector in Malta. There aren’t many destinations that can offer English within a setting like ours.

In terms of responsible tourism development, we look at a number of criteria. We look at how the company invests in new technology to make teaching more effective, and in new methodologies so that they can confidently pitch for work in areas such as Aviation English, Political English, and so on. This also requires highly trained teachers.

The nature of the product has also evolved. It used to be that young students were placed with host families. Today, we still have host families, but the fact that we’re getting more mature students also means that they use other forms of accommodation.

When we look at responsible tourism, it also gives a good name to the sector. Because over the years, sometimes during the peak season, when you have groups of youngsters who are probably on their first holiday abroad without their parents, they do tend to make a bit more noise than usual.

There’s also this element of not only looking at students as clients for one week or two, but seeing them as very impressionable young people. Their stay can influence them to become better citizens

I’m recalling the words of one of the award winners, Allan Lofaro, who said that his school invites students to do corporate social responsibility work, such as beach cleaning. As a result, students get more opportunities to be included in social life while practising English, as well as gaining experience in social responsibility.

There’s also this element of not only looking at students as clients for one week or two, but seeing them as very impressionable young people. Their stay can influence them to become better citizens.

Very often when I travel, I meet people working for tour operators, airlines, or the media, and they tell me that they started learning English when they were sixteen years old in Malta. You see a diaspora of people who came here to learn English and who today occupy high positions. They have very fond memories of the islands.

The award criteria emphasize digital presence and innovation. How are you seeing language schools in Malta evolve their digital offering?

As I said already, investment in digitalisation and dedication go hand in hand. We have long moved past the traditional approach of the printed book. There are many digital means of making language teaching more alive, more interesting, and more effective.

Regarding innovation, I have mentioned how schools move into different niches to survive on a year-round basis. The commitment to quality is very important because the competition is there. The fact that the sector has survived for so many decades means that the right attitude is present.

The schools are very proud, their teachers are fully dedicated, and they invest heavily in training. Sometime last year, I was present at the ELT conference organised by the ELT Council, and you become very impressed when you see the level of quality.

How does the ELT segment contribute to Malta’s broader goals for sustainable and responsible tourism?

Basically, by attracting a type of tourism that differs from the mainstream, we help diversify our tourism offer. These tourists are not coming for sightseeing or primarily for the coast – they are coming for education. So this represents another important niche in our portfolio.

This already contributes to sustainability because I see diversification as a key component of sustainability. It provides a wider set – a bigger menu of options – for our tourism industry, which is also sustainable as a year-round activity.

ELT students use infrastructure that is not traditional tourism infrastructure; they place a lot of emphasis on schools and educational establishments. This, together with other segments such as luxury travel and MICE, helps to diversify Malta’s image away from the typical Mediterranean summer island image.

These are all elements that support our responsible tourism goals. We are not working to attract mass tourism for sun and sea. For us, one of the benchmarks of success is seeing how many of our tourists come for other reasons as well.

According to research carried out by our research unit, only 17% of our tourists come for sun and sea alone. The larger percentage comes for other reasons. That is very important from a sustainability perspective.

Apart from tapping into different facets of the destination, ELT also helps keep the English language in Malta alive – and well, it is already very much alive in our school system, our university, and so on. But this provides even more rationale to keep English alive in Malta, because I believe that having English as a second official language is a very good selling point that differentiates Malta from its neighbours. So we need to keep strengthening it.

The Tourism Worker of the Year: English Language Learning award recognises ELT professionals who go beyond the call of duty. What does exceptional performance look like, and why does celebrating the human side of the student experience matter?

I said the awards focus on the physical and the human. Tourism is ultimately hospitality, and hospitality is best delivered by human beings. However, human beings on their own cannot do everything, so you need the right mix, and in the awards we recognise both elements.

That said, we like to place a special emphasis on the human dimension. Hospitality can be extended in a hotel, in a restaurant, on an airline, or in teaching at a school – but I think anywhere you look, they are all different expressions of hospitality.

Malta has a good name for hospitality. Our surveys show that tourists value Maltese hospitality and rate it very highly. When you combine hospitality with education, that can turn into something very beautiful, because education is not simply something mechanical. The impact that a good teacher can have on his or her students is so great that we have to recognize excellence in the hospitality delivered by a human being.

I have been to courses abroad, and sometimes it turns out that after two hours you want to go home. But a teacher who is passionate, who cares about the students, can literally turn the experience into something memorable and have a strong impact.

These teachers do not have the luxury of normal teachers in schools, who have their students in class for a scholastic year. English language school teachers have their students for a shorter period, and yet they can still make an impact.

This is what we mean by exceptional performance – identifying leading examples of individuals for whom this is not just a job, but a mission: to look at their students with dedication and to leave an impact on them.

How do you see human resource sustainability shaping the ELT industry in Malta?

A lot of improvement has been made in digitalisation, technology, online resources, and that sort of thing. But the human dimension cannot be replaced. I think the way ahead for education in general – and for ELT in particular – is to have an enhanced relationship between technology and the human element. The sector should not view technology as a threat. The human dimension will always remain very important, and that is where the human resource aspect comes in so strongly.

Schools should not be afraid to embrace technology and innovation, but they should also never lose sight of their teachers. Because ultimately, all the technology and innovation enhance and improve what the teacher can deliver. At the center of focus should always be the teacher, as the impact they have on you will never be forgotten.

Are there any key priorities or recommendations you would highlight to support its long-term development of the ELT segment?

As I said, as in anything, they cannot be complacent. They have to see how trends are developing, how people are changing their interests in learning a language, and what type of language they would like to learn.

I think we are moving away from the concept of having very young children who know very few words of English and come here for their first exposure. Most of the students we are getting already have an idea of English. They come here for highly specialised and targeted booster courses to take them to another level. So watch out for the competition and always stay at the forefront.

Don’t try to be everything to everyone. I think that is very important. Shed what is not profitable, what can be done better by others, and focus on what makes us special and what makes us better. That gives you long-term success

Don’t try to be everything to everyone. I think that is very important. Shed what is not profitable, what can be done better by others, and focus on what makes us special and what makes us better. That gives you long-term success.

Have the courage to throw away what is no longer relevant and the vision to adopt all the new things that come our way. One advantage we have here is that we are very fast at adapting, as a very small country.

One of the secrets behind our overall success is how quickly we adapt, and the same applies to the ELT sector: adaptability, speed, having a vision for the future, plus getting rid of what is no longer your strength.

In an increasingly competitive global ELT market, how does Malta differentiate itself as a study destination, and where do you see its strongest growth opportunities in the coming years?

I think we have a number of advantages. Our location is very helpful, as is the fact that English is naturally spoken here. I think the focus on increasing quality has to come to the fore.

Where we were 30 or 40 years ago, we attracted people mostly because of low prices and the climate. Today, the high-quality element needs to be emphasised for a year-round business.

The strongest opportunity for growth lies in highly targeted specific segments. It doesn’t make sense to be a little bit of everything to everyone. There is a general focus on quality in everything we do. Quality is not only about spending a lot of money; it starts with the delivery of the service and linking what you deliver with what you have.

In that sense, we use our own homegrown teachers and our own homegrown schools, and so on. That way, the ELT segment delivers higher value to the economy and to investors themselves

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