Although no Maltese citizens fell victim to the attack on the bloody day, Malta aligned itself with many other nations in declaring war against terrorism. The Maltese government issued statements on the matter and stepped-up security all over the Maltese Islands.

Maltese efforts in the fight against terrorism were recognised by the U.S. ambassador for Malta Anthony Gioia. In an interview to his hometown's newspaper, The Buffalo News, Ambassador Gioia had words of praise for the steps taken by the Maltese government in the immediate aftermath of the attacks to protect both the U.S. embassy and the ambassador.

He also praised Malta's cooperation in the war against terrorism. With a third of the world's commercial trade passing through or near the archipelago, that means, "making sure weapons of mass destruction don't get through," Gioia told the paper.

"(Malta) takes terrorism very seriously. They have done everything we've asked," he said.

Security was stepped up in various places, at an expense. Malta International Airport introduced a tariff on every passenger using the airport to cover security costs. All passengers using the terminal are required to pay 55 cents in addition to the airfare, taxes and other tariffs as from April. The measure will affect both Maltese travellers and tourists.

Tourism in freefall
If Malta came out intact out of the tragedy in terms of national security, it was a different story in economic matters.

The Maltese economic sector hit the hardest by the effects of September 11th is without doubt the incoming tourism industry.

The statistics paint a very bleak picture indeed. In the first five months of 2002, the number of tourist arrivals was down by 35,436 or 8.7 per cent to 373,063 from 408,499 last year.

The Minister for Tourism Michael Refalo thinks the year 2001 could have been another record year for Maltese tourism if the "11th September whirlwind" did not break out. He said despite this "whirlwind", the traditional holiday market sector stood up well and Malta succeeded in retaining the vast majority of bookings already made by then. However the months following September 2001 "are disappointing and reflect the holiday booking standstill following the Twin Towers tragedy," the Minister said.

However not everyone is blaming the slump in tourism on September 11. The decrease in the number of tourists visiting Malta started long before September 2001, the Malta and Gozo Restaurant Association (MGRA) said. The downturn has been going on since 1994, with pollution, increase in building sites and bad publicity contributing to the downfall.

Recovery
The Central Bank of Malta, in its review for the second quarter of 2002 said that the local economy showed some signs of recovery from the sharp downturn that had characterised the second half of 2001, particularly after the September 11 events. The weak economic growth was, however, driven by domestic demand.

The Review observes that during the first quarter of 2002 global economic conditions improved slightly, on the back of continued expectations of a return to moderate growth levels in most industrial countries. These expectations, however, rested on the performance of the United States, where doubts about the sustainability of the recovery persisted. Taking into account this climate of economic uncertainty, the major central banks chose to maintain interest rates unchanged during the quarter.

On the other hand, the Minister of Finance John Dalli attributes the current ailments of the Maltese economy to over-investment in some sectors, lack of creativity, barters to evade tax, and bad habits of accountants who are only after short-term solutions.

However, not all the picture is bleak. Dedicated Micros (Malta) expects a record turnover after its sales of security equipment doubled following the terrorism scares triggered by the attacks of September 11. Dedicated Micros (Malta) Limited (DMML) is situated at the San Gwann Industrial Estate is a fully owned subsidiary of Dedicated Microcomputers Group (DMG) based in Manchester UK.

Maltese tourists return safely from NYC Audio interview with Reggie Schembri who was on holiday in New York City during the attack From MaltaMedia's Wara l-Ahbar [in Maltese] Produced by Martin Debattista, Darrell Pace & Toni Sant Originally broadcast on Monday, 17th September 2001 Interviewer: Martin Debattista Maltese missionary priest shares experience Audio commentary by Rev. Ivan Sciberras who works at Ridgewood, New Jersey, hometown to 10 men reported missing since the WTC collapse Communicated to MaltaMedia by telephone on Monday, 17th September 2001 [in Maltese] The rescue efforts in NYC Malta's Civil Protection Department Director Peter Cordina talks about the rescue efforts in New York from a veteran's rescuer's perspective. Communicated to MaltaMedia by telephone on Monday, 24th September 2001 [in Maltese] Interviewer: Martin Debattista

Updates from the scenes of the attacks and the ongoing investigations
 

Timeline of the tragedy

Detailed moment-by-moment of the devastating attacks and their aftermath
 

Terrorism against the USA

A list of the major terrorist attacks against the United States in recent years.
 

Toni Sant reports from New York City on the World Trade Center terrorist attack First reaction & comments: 48 hours after the attacks: Friday 7pm - candle vigil: Beyond the emotional spectrum: Arabs are not the enemy: Getting back to normal routine: After seven strange days: The hour is coming: Casualty of Maltese descent: Striking back at terror: Rash of anthrax scares:   To hear the webcasts   on this page you need

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