The possible role of local stakeholders in nation branding and destination marketing of Malta

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to better understand and contribute to the branding of Malta as a tourist destination by seeking gaps with regard to conceptual frameworks of stakeholder theory and providing the missing information in an exploratory and qualitative study based on a Survey of local stakeholder attitudes. Marketing and business strategy today has turned away from a focus on the product, and instead looks at the need fulfilment of consumers as well as stakeholders. Tourism marketing has a new focus on partnerships, and defining potential partnerships involves looking for stakeholders and aligning goals and objectives. The history of tourism in Malta really begins in the last half of the twentieth century, which foreign business interests developed resorts and travel packages catering to British families and vacationers. While initially embraced, further development of tourism in Malta in the 1970s and 1980s was not as well received. There were issues with incompatible land use, population density and rising prices, as well as a focus on discount beach vacations. The people of Malta, very much stakeholders in the tourist industry, were not consulted in these developments, and often there were frustrations and tensions. In more recent decades there has been professionalization and nationalization of the tourist industry, as well as proactive measures to shape and promote Malta’s tourist strategy and offerings. The conceptual framework of stakeholder theory provides additional evidence of the importance of consulting and aligning goals with the people of Malta, with regard to any branding strategy. This has the capacity to increase the success of marketing efforts, by reducing resistance or inconsistency that arises from incompatible tourism development. An online Survey method was used and residents of Malta were recruited to respond to a Survey of attitudes and perceptions pertaining to tourism and tourists in Malta. Likert scales were used for the rating of attitudes and feelings. Resulting data was analysed statistically and in light several strategic frameworks. The Survey results gave evidence that the residents of Malta had some distinct preferences with regard to tourism offerings, targeted tourist types and the growth of environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism. There were divergent interests between regions, as well as an interest in diversifying tourism offerings. Future studies as well as strategy development for the marketing and branding of tourism should continue investigation of Maltese attitudes to tourism regional and other differences clarify segmentation of local stakeholders and increase the capacity of the people of Malta to participate.