The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and the National Statistics Office (NSO) have categorically denied that they have been holding discussions with a view to revising 2006 Tourism Data, as has been alleged in a section of the local media over the past few days.

In a joint statement on Saturday, MTA CEO David Mifsud and NSO Director General Gordon Cordina also stated that the two organisations are not in any disagreement or dispute over the provenance, quality and quantum of the tourism figures produced by NSO.

“The MTA views the NSO as the official generator of data and statistics relating to Tourism, and bases its analysis and interpretation of Tourism Performance in Malta on the basis of such official NSO data.  On its part, the NSO constantly strives to review and improve the sampling methodologies of its tourism surveys so as to continue generating an ever expanding and improving range of tourism statistical indicators for use by government and industry sources,” the statement concluded.