27 February 2001:  Institute of Tourism Studies launches Quality Service Charter

The ITS Quality Service Charter was launched today by Minister Michael Refalo in the presence of Minister for Justice and Local Government and senior Public Service officials. 

In this 28th Charter launched within the Public Service, the Institute of Tourism Studies is offering its commitment to giving its customers a quality service.  During the press conference held to mark the launch of the Charter, Minister Michael Refalo said the Institute of Tourism Studies was set up to provide the tourism industry with  professionals trained to international levels.   Last year was another record year for the tourism industry with visitor figures reaching the 1,215,713 mark.  Tourist levels from Britain went up from 34.8% in 1999 to 35.3% in 2000.

Minister Refalo also referred to the financial aid obtained under the Fourth Financial Protocol between Malta and the European Union to investigate the impact of Malta's proposed EU membership.  The study will focus on two sectors: the tourist guiding sector and SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises), with special emphasis on the hotelier and travel agency sectors.

Director of Tourism, Mr Joseph Micallef, spoke about the changes in procedure carried out to improve the quality of service given at the Institute.  One being that the customer will not be asked to produce a birth certificate when applying for a programme of study as all applicant details will now be verified via the Public Registry Common Database.  All those interested in obtaining more information about the courses and facilities available at ITS may access the Institute's website on http://its.mitts.net/ or send a request via e-mail to the following address: help_its@magnet.mt.