interview with Godwin Grech
These days Godwin Grech is a freelance lecturer, and a pillar of the community of Naxxar on Malta, where he lives with his wife, Valerie. But he has had a lifetime in tourism, having started out as an air steward for Air Malta, age 18.
We are please to feature a short interview with him as a part of our Tourism Interviews Project. We hope to feature more diverse voices from people who know about tourism from the inside out (and would welcome your ideas on potential interviewees).
Godwin worked for Air Malta for 40 years, initially as cabin crew, and later as Instructor Training Check Inflight Manager. As an instructor he was involved in the initial and re-current training of crew in Malta but was also involved in training in Abu Dhabi, Santiago del Chile, U.K. and Libya. Throughout the years of working in Tourism, he developed an interest in the Hospitality Industry. He pursued his studies, whilst working at Air Malta. Godwin is a graduate of the University of Malta and holds an honours degree in Tourism Studies and a master’s degree in Business Administration. Since graduating from university, he obtained a teacher’s warrant and has been lecturing for the past 18 years in subjects related to Management, Hospitality/Tourism and Aviation. Throughout these years he has been lecturing at the Institute of Tourism Studies, MCAST, Domain Academy, the European Institute of Education and the Maritime Institute and other institutes. He was also a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta at The Institute for Tourism. Godwin is also involved in training of Managers and team leaders in the Hospitality Industry. When not working, Godwin enjoys walking, photography, painting and gardening. He has travelled extensively.
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· Godwin, tell us about how you started out in the tourism field, and one or two of your earliest memories of working in the industry.
I started my career in Tourism at a very early age. I was only 18 years old when I started my long career at Air Malta, the national airline, being employed as a steward. I was a Business Management student when I applied for the job and I took the opportunity. The year was 1978. The airline was still in its initial years and they were very exciting times. Malta as a tourist destination was attracting tourists mainly from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The airline had a schedule operation and a charter operation. The charter operation focused mainly on many UK airports carrying passengers on ‘Package holidays’ to Malta and the schedule operation focused mainly on flights to major airports in UK, central and southern Europe and north Africa.
I immediately ‘fell in love with the job’. I enjoyed working in a team made up of young and energetic people. Every flight was different from the previous. Different passengers, different destinations made our jobs more exciting. There was a lot of pride. It was a privilege to work for the national airline and most employees gave their utmost.
Throughout the long years at Air Malta, I saw big changes in tourism in Malta. They were exciting times for Malta. The airline invested in new aircrafts and started flying to many new destinations around Europe and beyond. The increase in a number of 5 star hotels, a new airport, a Cruise liner terminal, investments in tourism products, the setting up of the Institute of Tourism Studies and later a tourism course at university all contributed to an increase in the number but also quality of tourism to our islands.
Flying was a completely new experience and gave me the opportunity to visit many different countries and also to be able to work in a number of these countries, even if it was for a short time. Air Malta planes were leased to a small number of foreign airlines on a number of occasions and we as cabin crew and instructors had the opportunity to work at foreign bases. Working with other airline staff made it even more exciting. Some of the most memorable experiences were in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, U.K., Amsterdam, Libya and Santiago del Chile. So many beautiful memories.
· You’ve spent a large part of your career with Air Malta. What is it like working as cabin crew ? Would you do the same all over again given the chance?
Being a cabin crew for the national airline carries even more responsibilities. We were known as ‘The flying ambassadors’. The cabin are the first locals that tourists/passengers encounter on their experience to a new destination. ‘The first impression is a lasting impression’ so we had to work hard to earn the trust and confidence of our guests in such a short time. In addition, Malta and the Maltese are renowned for their hospitality and therefore in spite of the sometimes difficult circumstances we had to remain calm and offer an excellent service.
Cabin crew are trained to deal with many different situations. Being courteous, friendly and offering great service is only part of the job of a cabin crew. Yet cabin crew are mainly safety officers and hence their main duty is the safety of the passengers and the aircraft.
40 years of flying seems a very long time but in reality they went by so quickly. Throughout all these years I was lucky enough to meet many colleagues who remain friends. I am also lucky to have had the opportunity to meet many passengers, some of whom have kept contact. It’s a very special job in my opinion and I would probably do it all again if I had the chance, although I must admit that passenger profile has changed a lot. Most of our passengers in the past used to travel for culture, history, events, art, business and so on. They were different times.
· You have played an important role in training and education, both as teacher and student. What stands out for you as vital in your own professional and personal development from your involvement with education?
I regard myself lucky to have pursued with my studies at a later stage in my life. As a student I was captivated by the vastness of the knowledge and being a mature student gave me the privilege to see the application of my studies to real life situations. I was immersed in my studies and I am immensely grateful to my lecturers, some of whom were younger than myself.
Education changed me in many ways. It change the way I looked at things in life. It also gave me new opportunities. When I obtained a teachers’ warrant I immediately started lecturing and my first assignment was at The Institute for Tourism Studies. Soon after I was lecturing at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology were I was lecturing students in Aviation Operations. This was only the beginning and I was now lecturing and training employees in the hospitality industry. One of my last assignments was at the University of Malta as a visiting lecturer in The Institute for Tourism.
The satisfaction of any educator is the success of their past students and it’s truly a pleasure to meet your students a few years later and you get to know how successful they are in their careers. I always treated students as if they were my own children and I also took into consideration the fact that ‘emerging adulthood’ is a particularly difficult time. Educators can assist students in making this less difficult. They can guide them and encourage them to succeed.
· Malta is a great place generally in my opinion, and especially interesting for anyone interested in the tourism industry. The country is the most densely populated in Europe, with, I’d guess, the greatest density of tourists per resident and per square kilometer. In the 25 years I’ve been visiting, for work and pleasure, I have generally been struck how positive people are about tourism. However, it is fair to say that in the last 5 to 10 years the rapid rise in tourism numbers and attendant trends has led to criticisms and concerns. In the universities this is often discussed in terms of ‘overtourism’. How do you see these changes specifically on Malta?
Malta has changed drastically in the past 25 years. The number of inbound tourists in Malta in 2001 was just over 1,000,000 and it went up to just under 3,000,000 in 2023. This is putting immense pressure on the infrastructure and resources. In the last few years we have also seen an influx of third country nationals, many of whom are filling up jobs in hospitality. Malta is the most densely populated country in Europe and the increase in population has put pressure for more accommodation, increase in traffic, etc. The increase in demand for many basic services has served the economy well but is this sustainable? What about the quality of life?
We have seen a few overcrowded beaches, increase in traffic jams and long queues for some tourist attractions. There are times when Mdina the ‘silent city’ is packed with tourists, especially when cruise liners fill up the ‘Grand Harbour’. The public transport is struggling to cope with the demand from locals and tourists and journey times have increased and in some case doubled. Therefore, can we cope with this increase in demand? We have to take ‘overtourism’ seriously. What happened to the ‘Carrying Capacity’? What are the negative impacts?
A number of destinations have already taken measures to combat ‘overtourism’ and I believe that this can be done in Malta as well. Malta as a destination has managed well the problem of seasonality in the past and I’m sure that with better planning we can also cope with ‘overtourism’. Solutions exist and Malta can go for more for ‘Quality Tourism’, better coordination between the management of tourist attractions, especially when cruise liners pack our harbour. Tourists can also be ‘diverted’ to other less prominent but equally attractive tourist attractions to avoid overcrowding. Invest in new tourist products and attract new tourist niches. Finally we need to invest more in ‘Agro tourism’ and to safeguard our environment.
· As well as employee in the tourism sector, you are also well travelled. Tell us about the pleasures of tourism for you and your family – what makes a visit or a place special and valuable ?
I have taken opportunities to visit as many destinations as possible. I have been to a number of far-away destinations but I have also visited many countries in Europe. One of the most visited countries for my family and I is Italy. Besides being the closest country to our home, it offers a number of diverse destinations that is almost impossible to find in any other country. From north to south, Italy is blessed with so many beautiful and interesting places to visit. History, art, architecture, culture, beautiful scenery, museums but also food are some of the ‘ingredients’ that make a destination really worth visiting. The fact that Italy is so well connected to Malta makes it easier to visit especially on short breaks.
· Frank Sinatra sang ‘It’s very nice to go travelling, to Paris London or Rome, But it’s so much nicer to come home’. As well as enjoying going travelling ‘away’ as a tourist (as well as through work), I know you have a strong affinity with Malta as ‘home’, including a love of its artistic and cultural traditions. Tell us about the importance of ‘home’ and ‘away’ for you ?
Travelling is like an addiction. The need to explore and experience new destinations is unlimited. Yet ‘There is no place like home’ and we are lucky to live on a small island that has deep roots in history, culture and art. Moreover, there are so many events, some of which are religious that it’s so difficult to keep up with. The calendar of events for some localities are packed with activities and we take the opportunity to visit and attend to events as many as possible. Malta and our sister island Gozo are relatively small but the weather permits that to organise outdoor events even in the winter months.
The islands have a long history of traditions, some of which go back to the times of the ‘Knights of St. John’. For centuries, locals have participated in these events and kept these traditions alive. Throughout the year there are also a number of religious events, most of which are organised by volunteers in every parish. Competition amongst parishioners is very high.
As an art lover, I also attend lectures in painting and history of art at the ‘School of Art’ in Valletta, The school is an old palazzo. Besides the many activities organised by the school, I also visit a good number of art exhibitions organised by many artists. I also enjoy attending to concerts some of which are held in some of the many historical buildings around the island.