Malta International Airport CEO Alan Borg has called for Malta to roll out industry-wide benchmarking initiatives inspired by the Michelin Guide, arguing that the country must raise and measure standards across its tourism and hospitality sector.

Speaking at the Malta Business Network’s Annual Christmas Lunch last week, Borg said that while tourist numbers continue to grow, “celebrating volumes alone is no longer enough,” stressing that Malta now needs reliable, measurable indicators of visitor experience to guide long-term improvements.

He noted that the Michelin Guide had energised Malta’s restaurant scene by creating ambition, anticipation and clear performance targets.

“Imagine if we could generate that same sense of excitement across the entire tourism ecosystem: the accommodation sector, beaches, attractions, transport, signage, and the everyday touchpoints that shape a visitor’s journey,” Borg said.

He argued that Malta must adopt a more structured and data-driven approach to understanding tourist satisfaction, proposing annual, independent evaluations of the full visitor journey — from airport arrival to infrastructure and cultural sites — so the industry can better identify strengths, address weaknesses, and align with the country’s vision for a quality-led sector.

Guest of Honour Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg addressed the gathering with remarks on Malta’s broad international outreach and the strong ties that underpin Malta–UK relations. He highlighted the country’s expanding global footprint, including high-level delegations to Asia and Africa, new aviation links such as the Malta–New York route, and strategic investments in education diplomacy like the launch of the ITS campus in Shanghai.

Closing the event, David Pace, Partner at KPMG, noted that Malta remains one of the EU’s strongest performers. However, he cautioned that long-term prosperity will depend on more than headline economic numbers.

Pace warned that Malta’s current growth model — heavily reliant on imported labour rather than improvements in productivity or GDP per capita — must evolve. To navigate this period of transformation, he said, institutional capital, social capital and knowledge capital will become Malta’s most critical assets.

The Malta Business Network’s Christmas Lunch brought together leaders from business, aviation, tourism and government, closing the year with a clear message: Malta must focus not only on growing tourism, but on elevating it.