Malta at a Crossroads
When the conversation turns to Malta, Zahra’s tone shifts, becoming both proud and candid. He acknowledges the remarkable progress of the past two decades: improved connectivity, growing international awareness, and a substantially better hospitality product. He even recalls when 20 years ago he was “branded part of the low cost at all cost brigade” when together with others he lobbied for the introduction of low-cost airlines, a move he credits as a key catalyst for Malta’s exponential growth in visitor numbers.
But that success, he argues, has come with risks that are no longer hypothetical. “Success also creates pressure, and we have to be careful not to become a victim of our own success,” he warns. Parameters that had at the time been recommended to cap individual airline capacity and manage passenger volumes in his view, were ignored or allowed to lapse. The result is a destination under strain. One that has “gone down the line of volume and numbers for too long.”
The deeper concern is identity. “International travellers increasingly seek authenticity, culture, character, and emotional connection. Overdevelopment or short-term thinking is eroding exactly what makes Malta unique.” He is equally forthright about the workforce dimension: “I am old enough to remember the days when all our team members were Maltese and delivered a great authentic experience to visitors. Today we all know that is not the case, so a massive effort needs to be made to regain this with the current available workforce.”
If asked to redesign Malta’s hospitality strategy from scratch, his priorities are clear: a stronger focus on quality over quantity, “through action, not words”. Better urban planning, a long-term infrastructure plan, a world-class talent development ecosystem, and seasonality strategies built around culture, wellness, gastronomy, and sport. He is particularly pointed about the festival culture: “Concurrently downplaying the constant promotion of large summer festivals and events that simply attract a different market to the one we aspire to have on the island.”
Leadership, Culture, and the Next Generation
Throughout a career certain leadership principles have remained constant. People first. Transparency always. Relentless adaptability. And a genuine belief in empowerment over hierarchy. “My biggest satisfaction over the years has always been to watch individuals develop and grow, even when they outgrow the company and move on,” he says. “Today I look back and see many people who used to work for our company in Malta heading up significantly sized companies or who have set up their own organisations and thrived. It’s great to see.”
TROO Hospitality has recently been shortlisted among the top six employers in the UK hospitality industry - an endorsement, Zahra says, of the people-led culture the team has worked hard to build.
On the younger generation entering the industry, he
was pragmatic saying, “The younger generation values
flexibility, purpose, personal growth, and work-life
balance far more than previous generations did. In many
ways, it is pushing the industry to evolve positively.”
The
challenge, he acknowledges, is maintaining operational
discipline while meeting those new expectations. “In many
ways, it is pushing hospitality to evolve positively.”
For young Maltese professionals aspiring to leadership
roles, his advice is straightforward: remain curious, gain
broad experience, travel internationally and embrace
continuous learning. “The best hospitality leaders are
lifelong learners.”
A Legacy Still Being Written
For all his international reach, Zahra’s connection to
Malta remains unequivocal. He is, at heart, an advocate
for the islands. Someone who believes deeply in their
potential and is concerned, precisely because of that
belief, by what he sees as avoidable missteps.
“Malta
has enormous advantages: its history, people, climate,
safety, accessibility, culture, and genuine hospitality
DNA,” he says. “The opportunity remains huge if
managed correctly. But the risk of a downturn is also
huge if we get it wrong.”