News
KM expands code share deal SN Brussels
Luqa, 09/06/09 - Air Malta has expanded its codeshare agreement with Brussels Airlines. The agreement offers Air Malta passengers seamless travel connections to destinations not serviced by the airline. MORE

Cruise traffic slumps in April, but 23% greater in 2009
Valletta, 07/06/09 - While cruise passenger traffic slumped by 17.4 per cent in April, when compared to April last year, the first four months of 2009 saw an increase of 22.9 per cent over the corresponding period in 2008. MORE

Serena Beach Club sold and renamed, seeks EU funding
Xlendi, 03/06/09 – The two star Hotel Serena Beach Club & Spa has been sold to All Season Holidays Ltd and has been renamed the Hotel Xlendi Resort & Spa. Its new owners now want to have it recategorised as a three star. MORE

Fortina introduces rejuvenation rooms
Sliema, 02/06/09 - The five star Fortina Spa Resort have just introduced wellness rejuvenation rooms. These rooms, all 14 of them, are equipped with the latest “sleep, wellbeing and fitness equipment”. MORE

Mondial retails cheap Med cruises
Valletta, 02/06/09 – Cypriot-owned Louis Cruise Lines is now featuring Malta as a point of embarkation for its Mediterranean cruises. MORE

MIA-Ryanair charges row on the boil, again
Mosta, 29/05/09 – The ongoing tiff between Ryanair and Malta International Airport is on the boil again. MORE

Travellers say economy, more than environment, makes them waste-conscious
White Plains, US, 27/05/09 - The faltering economy – not the fragile environment – is the biggest motivator for travellers who have become “more conscious of waste”. MORE

EasyJet inaugurate Newcastle frequency
Luqa, 23/05/09 - EasyJet’s first flight from Newcastle landed last night at Malta International Airport, with a load factor of 90 per cent. MORE

European hospitality industry calls for a shift in EU policies
Stockholm, 12/05/09 – Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association representatives and Malta Business Bureau CEO were among the 40 hotel, restaurant and café associations from 25 European countries attending the 59th HOTREC general assembly in Stockholm. MORE

Hix markets hunting trips
Sliema, 08/05/09 – Hix Travel is organising a series of hunting packages to the Balkans. MORE

Eden Leisure Group reports revenues of €23million
St Julian’s, 08/05/09 - The Eden Leisure Group announced positive, preliminary results for the year ending 2008. MORE

MIA notches 1.4 point increase in April traffic
Luqa, 08/05/09 - In April Malta International Airport registered a 1.4 per cent increase in passenger movements. MORE

Air Malta to abandon fuel surcharges next winter
Mosta, 07/05/09 – Air Malta will do away with its fuel surcharge from November, says chief executive Joseph Cappello. MORE

MTA to open Dubai office
Mosta, 07/05/09 - The Malta Tourism Authority is planning to open a representative office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, “to tap the regional market”. MORE

Paradise Bay Resort signs three-year deal with France’s Touristra
Cirkewwa, 05/05/09 – Paris-based tour operator Touristra will be programming the islands as of next year, after a break of more than 11 years “with the promise of bringing over 4,000 tourists in the first of a three-year deal”. MORE

PwC warns travel faces long road to recovery
Mosta, 05/05/09 – The UK branch of PricewaterhouseCoopers has dismissed the idea of a short-term recession in the travel industry, and is warning the trade to prepare for three to five years of reduced activity. MORE

Radisson properties to go ‘blu’
Mosta, 04/05/09 – The two Radisson SAS properties in Malta will drop the SAS name next month and replace it with the word ‘blu’. MORE

The Westin Dragonara upgrades kitchen
St Julian’s, 02/05/09 – The main kitchen at the Westin Dragonara Resort has been upgraded. MORE

MIA posts a profit for financial 2008
Luqa, 01/05/09 – In 2008 Malta International Airport plc maintained almost the same profit levels as 2007’s, despite the difficulties set by the global scene that impacted the aviation industry. MORE

Fewer cruise passengers in March, but more liners
Valletta, 01/05/09 – In March there were 1,113 fewer cruise liner passengers than 12 months ago. MORE

MIA retains seat capacity for summer, new carrier to come online
Luqa, 01/05/09 - In March there was a drop of 18.8 per cent in passenger movements at Malta International Airport. This results in an average decrease of 14.4 per cent for the first three months of 2009. MORE

Credit crunch or not, more Maltese travel
Valletta, 01/05/09 – In February an estimated 16,840 Malta residents left the islands, just 202 fewer than 12 months ago. MORE

Cruise traffic up 268 per cent in 2009
Valletta, 01/05/09 – In February 14,180 cruise liner passengers visited Malta, an increase of 11,716 over the corresponding month last year. MORE

Features
When Eagles chopper around
Philip Bayne is a man with a passion. A passion for his company and its helicopters. And he wants everyone to enjoy aerial tours of the islands – and more - on one of his helicopters. MORE

Data bank
Tourism down 13% and income down 11 points
Valletta, 07/06/09 – In April there was a drop of 3.1 per cent in tourist arrivals, according to the National Statistics Office. An estimated 101,597 people visited the islands. MORE

Net works
Air Malta portal gets clean bill of health from EU
Luqa, 15/05/09 - Air Malta’s portal was given a ‘clean health check’ endorsement from the European Union’s commission. MORE

People & events
Renaissance at Montekristo
Hal Farrug, 08/06/09 - Renaissance is the latest venue at the Montekristo estates. MORE

Kempinski San Lawrenz celebrates 10th anniversary
San Lawrenz, 08/06/09 - Having opened its doors as the San Lawrenz Leisure Resort on 29 June 1999, the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz is celebrating its tenth anniversary later this month. MORE

Corinthia St George’s open new grill
St Julian’s, 08/06/09 – A new restaurant has opened at the five star Corinthia Hotel St George's Bay. MORE

Le Méridien St Julians appoints new DSM and DS
St Julian’s, 07/06/09 - Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa has a new have director of sales and marketing and a new director of sales. MORE

De Marco visits new edition of the Malta Experience
Valletta, 07/06/09 - The Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Dr Mario De Marco recently visited the Malta Experience. MORE

Flyaway Tours launch short-break summer offers
Luqa, 07/06/09 - Flyaway Tours, Air Malta’s package holidays, have just launched two short-break holidays to Sicily and Istanbul for the summer. MORE

Riu Seabank sponsor Mellieha powerboat race weekend
Mellieha, 05/06/09 – The Mellieha Powerboat Grand prix will be held on 27 and 28 June at Mellieha Bay. MORE

MTA organise service excellence conference
Valletta, 05/06/09 - The Malta Tourism Authority will be organising a half-day conference titled service excellence in the tourism industry. MORE

Kempinski San Lawrenz appoints new managers
San Lawrenz, 04/06/09 - A number of new people have been added to the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz’s management team. MORE

Gingell Littlejohn appointed DSM at InterConti
St Julian’s, 04/06/09 - Christopher Gingell Littlejohn has been appointed director of sales and marketing at InterContinental Malta. MORE

MTA renews sponsorship of Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti
Valletta, 03/06/09 - The Malta Tourism Authority is sponsoring, for the ninth year, the Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti. MORE

Veteran Corinthia Palace maitre calls it a day
Balzan, 01/06/09 - Thirty-three years of “service with a reassuring smile” come to an end for long-serving Corinthia Room restaurant manager Anthony Rapa. MORE

Granny’s Inn named best Malta hostel
Sliema, 30/05/09 - Granny's Inn Hostel, which only opened last August, has already won an award as the best hostel in Malta. MORE

Galmbacher joins Maritim sales team
Mellieha, 28/05/09 - German-born Brigitte Galmbacher has just been appointed sales and marketing manager of the four star Maritim Antonine Hotel and Spa. MORE

Air Malta donates €11,750 to charity
Luqa, 22/05/09 - Air Malta chief executive Joe Cappello, recently presented €11,750 to Dar Tal-Providenza. MORE

Brussels embassy embarks on tourism promotion
Brussels, 20/05/09 – Malta’s embassy in Brussels has held a series of initiatives to assist in the promotion of the islands’ tourism in Belgium. MORE

Westin Dragonara launches healthy breakfast
St Julian’s, 15/05/09 - The Westin Dragonara Resort is introducing the Superfoods concept. MORE

Malta to focus on pharmaceutical conferences
Valletta, 12/05/09 - The Malta Tourism Authority’s meetings and incentives division held a seminar for members of the local travel trade last month in a bid to raise awareness about regulations for pharmaceutical industry meetings. MORE

New GM at InterContinental Malta
St Julian’s, 11/05/09 - Giuseppe Vincelli, 39, has been appointed general manager of InterContinental Malta. MORE

Whistles on show
Mdina, 08/05/09 - A highly focused temporary exhibitions about unusual themes has just opened at Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum. MORE

Sixt inaugurates new airport stand
Luqa, 07/05/09 - Sixt Malta has just inaugurated a new stand at the Malta International Airport. MORE

A taste of Malta in the heart of London
London, 07/05/09 - Meetings, incentives, conferences and events organisers recently gathered at a top London restaurant to sample Maltese delicacies. MORE

ETC publish new tourism trends and prospects surveys
Brussels, 06/05/09 - It is now clear that the financial-sector blizzard that struck in the second half of 2008 is affecting the global economy. Every single OECD member country, and every single economy in Europe, is expected to suffer a contraction in GDP in 2009. MORE

President visits Corinthia Palace
Balzan, 01/05/09 - On 1 May George Abela visited the Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa to meet employees at their place of work. MORE

Malta appoints Nina Ruge as VIP ambassador for Germany
Valletta, 01/05/09 - The Malta Tourism Authority has appointed the popular German TV hostess and author Nina Ruge as one of Malta’s VIP ambassadors for the German market. MORE

Former Sheraton and Dragonara employees reunite
St Julian’s, 01/05/09 - A reunion was recently held at the Westin Dragonara Resort’s Palio’s Restaurant by former Sheraton and Dragonara Hotel staffers. MORE