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VALLETTA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Malta hosted more than 835,000 tourists in January to June 2016, an increase of 9.7 percent over the same period of last year, Malta's Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis said on Friday.
Delivering the opening address at a business gathering entitled "The future of Tourism in Malta: Achievements and Prospects", the minister outlined that there are strong indications that this year is expected to further outperform the previous 12 months yet again.
Lewis remarked that in order to reduce excessive bureaucracy faced by tourism operators, an extensive reform on tourism laws and regulations would be presented to the parliament by the end of this year.
The minister also highlighted the need to pursue further drive to improve the quality of the tourism products on offer, and the importance of raising the quality standards.
With reference to air connectivity, the Minister reaffirmed that the issue remains a focal point of the government's program.
Lewis announced that currently discussions are underway with no less than three new airlines, plus others already operating to and from Malta, with a view to add new routes or extend the frequency of existing routes. Enditem
