23 - 29 December 1999

Businesses, party-goers feel there's nothing to celebrate

by David Kelleher

With just two days to go to Christmas and a week to the beginning of a new millennium, entertainment establishments, restaurants and partygoers are wondering whether it's really worth celebrating.

On the one hand, there are dozens of establishments and restaurants who have not received as many bookings as they anticipated, while party-goers will have to stop having fun at 4am, because the government refused to extend the opening hours of establishments between 24 December and 1 January.

To add insult to injury, the General Workers' Union has called on its members who are coach drivers not to accept work over the Christmas and New Year unless coach operators give them a special bonus.

Speaking to The Malta Business Weekly, owners of restaurants and bars in Paceville had mixed feelings on the present situation. Some described bookings for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as terrible while others said bookings are picking up.

However, the general feeling is that everything is in slow mode, although the more optimistic are hoping for a last minute rush and expect to have a full house on the night.

President of the GRTU's Hospitality and Leisure division, Philip Fenech, said yesterday that there were a number of factors affecting bookings this year. Even though 1999 and the new millennium are reason enough to celebrate, there has been an overflow of activities -both public and private in nature.

"This has therefore stretched to the limit the number of people who can attend. In previous year, you may have had 60 parties. Now you have over 100, apart from private functions organised by the local council and even band clubs," Mr Fenech said.

He said that many establishments had done their best to keep the prices as low as possible but in some cases this could not be done.

"Many have incurred a lot of expenses to make their festivities even more attractive. This is means heavy spending on advertising. Thus, in many cases it is not possible for them to reduce their prices," he said.

The activities and the importance given to the end of 1999 will however get more people to go out to celebrate and therefore this will hopefully result in more bookings.

Yet, even if bookings were to increase, party-goers are irritated by the fact that the government has refused to extend opening hours between 24 December and 1 January.

The GRTU earlier this week wrote to the Police Commissioner and the Ministry for Home Affairs so that establishments will be able to remain open after 4am. This request was turned down.

"Our members have asked us for an extension of the opening hours during the period 24 December and 1 January and rightly so. Most business is done during this time and it would be ridiculous to apply the hours as stipulated in the regulations," Mr Fenech said.

Owners of entertainment establishment are worried they could lose a lot of business if they had to close earlier and feel an extension to the opening hours over the festive week will be of great help.

"In London, places of entertainment and even pubs have been given permission to open all hours. I don't see why this should be done here in Malta as well," Mr Fenech added.

With prospects not looking that good, there is more bad news in the offing for coach operators.

On Tuesday, the General Workers' Union called on coach and mini-bus drivers to refuse any work after 5pm on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The union is asking for drivers to be given a bonus on these days.

Contacted yesterday sources close to the coach operators told The Malta Business Weekly that although the problem will not be solved they were unsure how business would be affected.

"They are calling on us members no to accept any work unless they give us a bonus. Fine. But if we don't work then we won't get paid. With the present state of affairs in this country, who can afford to let go of Lm12 to Lm15?" one disgruntled coach driver said.

Asked to comment on the GWU action, Mr Fenech said revellers will be affected the most.

"Groups of young people hire a mini-bus or coach so that they can celebrate without having to drive back home afterwards. Secondly, if coaches do not work then more cars will enter Paceville, creating even more chaos," he said.