To what extent has joining the European Union contributed to enhancing the Maltese tourism sector : Valletta as a case study

Abstract

The Maltese economy has experienced substantial growth in the last decades, and the tourism industry seems to be among the country's sectors that have gained the most. The present study will look at Europe and the European mechanisms as generators of benefits for the country under multiple aspects in the tourism sector. The outcomes of the EU policies are expected to generate present and future economic output that can be interpreted in various ways, like citizens' well-being, better use of the country’s heritage sites and buildings, and tourism campaigns capable of producing positive results. At the European level, policies can also be determined by the travel simplification, derived from free movement under the Schengen program which contributes to ease the travelling of people inside the European continent. Thus, the European Union is seen as a means to reunite all the European economies under the same umbrella, where all the state members collaborate to produce policies towards a single goal whose contributions and effectiveness should be mirrored in each member's community and economy in various forms. The objective of this study is to provide the reader with a clear analysis of the evolution of a tiny country like Malta in the European context, assessing how being part of the European Union has accelerated the development of areas of tourism interest in the country, with particular attention to its Capital city Valletta.