Twenty-eight years ago, Times of Malta wrote an article about me. The article was titled ‘Former US Navy pilot flies in to land of his dreams’ and described how my Maltese parents emigrated to the US and how they instilled a love of Malta that eventually brought me to the island. It also recalled my years flying off aircraft carriers during the Vietnam war.
It was a relatively long article and included my picture, and it was apparently read by everyone in Malta because it made me something of a celebrity.
The Maltese are known for their hospitality but the way they treated me the week my family and I visited went well beyond that. Everywhere I went people would ask if I was the pilot: in the grocery store, at the bank, in restaurants and on the street. It got so bad that my family was sick of my notoriety.
So, when we sat for dinner at a restaurant and the waiter didn’t recognise me, they rolled in; fame is fleeting, you lost your fans, etc… But when the waiter returned from the kitchen after taking my order, he asked if I was the pilot because everyone in the kitchen was talking about me. I must admit I gloated. I still get teased about it.
This is the Malta and the Maltese people I know and love. It was 28 years ago and times have changed. During my more recent visits, I’ve seen the change. The island is more populated; there are more tourists and the traffic is terrible. The small streets where my parents were raised are still the same but the rest of the island is more commercial and much busier.
Fortunately, the people haven’t changed. They are still the most hospitable, loving, family oriented and loud nationality in the world. Yes, I love you and I love my Maltese heritage. Our family is Maltese by choice. Our grandchildren, who are only one-fourth Maltese by birth, feel they are 100% Maltese in their hearts. If you visit our homes, we will be sure to feed you – even if you aren’t hungry. Family is first with us.
We are also very loud. I hope I don’t offend but we Maltese can’t talk with soft voices. When Robin Williams was being interviewed about his movie, Popeye, and how it was filmed in Malta, he was asked about the Maltese people.
He talked about how pleasant and hospitable they were and had many nice things to say about them.
He also said: “They are very loud.” Friends of ours, who knew Robin, were in the audience, heard this and started laughing.
After the show they visited him in his dressing room and he asked why they laughed so hard about the “loud” comment when no one else did. They told him, it was because: “We know the Fenechs!”
The Maltese are still the most hospitable, loving, family oriented and loud nationality in the world- Bob Fenech
As I’ve watched the changes and read articles in the Times of Malta about what tourism has done to the island, it has made me reflect about what it means to a community, a state, a country. There is no simple answer.
It is neither all good nor all bad. Now, the island is feeling many of the downsides: harm to Comino and the Blue Lagoon, restaurant charges so high Maltese citizens can’t afford them.
At the same time, tourism has brought jobs and investment to the island. I understand the frustration but I recall earlier times. My paternal grandfather, after having my father and my aunt, was forced to leave the island to find work.
Like many young men at the time, he left his family to work in a British colony, Canada, for three years to support them. When he returned, my dad was six and he didn’t even recognise his own father. Tourism has changed that.
I’m not trying to defend or refute tourism. It is here and the question is: How should it be managed? I live in Michigan and our northern cities have a lot of tourists.
A friend who lives in an especially touristy town related a story to me. He is on the town council and said that, during one meeting in the summer when tourism was highest, a council man started complaining about the tourists and what they were doing to their community.
After listening to his ranting for a while, a council woman said, ‘you know it’s funny; we spend all summer complaining about the tourists, then we spend all winter trying to figure out how to attract more of them’. This is the Yin and Yang of the issue.
There is no simple answer to the challenge. It is neither all good nor all bad. As a leader, I have faced many similar issues with pros and cons and no way to satisfy everyone. The best way I have found to face these problems is to acknowledge them, discuss them and look for small victories.
I hope Times of Malta will publish more articles about tourism in a balanced way, recognising both the good and the bad. With reader input, small solutions can be identified and implemented. I wish there was one big remedy but there isn’t.
Working together and accepting the need to compromise is the only answer.
Bob Fenech is the author of The Courage to Lead.