Malta too expensive, MTA marketing team told

Valletta, 27/05/05 - "Malta is expensive", tour operators told MTA executive chairman Romwald Lungaro-Mifsud during a marketing trip to the UK in mid-May.

Competitor destinations such as Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco are gaining market share, in most cases because they are cheaper. 'New' eastern European destinations such as Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Montenegro and Slovenia have also come on the scene very strongly, again competing primarily on price, the executive chairman was told.

"However, indications are that Malta may end up slightly ahead of last year's figures as far as UK visitors are concerned", comments Lungaro-Mifsud.

Lungaro-Mifsud, along with the MTA's director for marketing and promotion Jeffrey Cutajar, the director of the London office Michael Piscopo and marketing manger Vicky Williams, held a series of meetings with British tour operators to discuss general market trends, the summer booking situation and cooperation possibilities between the authority and the operators aimed at generating more sales.

The MTA team met with Holiday Malta, Sunspot, First Choice, My Travel, Chevron, TUI and Thomas Cook. Meetings were also held with representatives of two "top" online travel companies who reported encouraging sales for Malta holidays.

"The meetings were very well-received by the tour operators, especially since we showed that we were prepared to give them our full commitment and support to regain Malta's market share in the UK, particularly in the light of the increasingly stiff competition which exists today", said Lungaro-Mifsud.

To underpin the direct marketing, which the MTA is carrying out with British tour operators, a booster campaign portraying the islands as a resort, destination is being carried out. The MTA's London office is supplementing its current press campaign with additional adverts in a number of national daily and weekly newspapers. New adverts have also been developed for this phase, emphasising Malta's summer product and attractions.

The MTA is planning similar marketing meetings with tour operators in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Ireland.

ERA says EC skewing passenger complaint numbers

Mosta, 27/05/05 - The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) maintained its attack on the EU's passenger rights rules, denying European Commission claims that passenger complaints have risen tenfold since the rules' implementation in late February, Air Transport World reports.

ERA director general Mike Ambrose said the association has asked the EC numerous times to provide information about the complaints it has received, but the commission has yet to do so. "The EC's accusations of a massive increase in complaints must be in doubt until it produces the evidence," he stated. (See EU to sue members slow to handle flight complaints.)

Ambrose also played down the data. "According to the EC's own figures, this level of complaints represents 20 a day, in other words less than one a day per member state," he noted. "When put into context of about 1.5 million passengers who travel in Europe every day, this means that only one passenger in every 75,000 is complaining to the EC."

The ERA repeatedly has voiced concern about the new rules. In April, it lodged a complaint with the EC Ombudsman charging the commission with releasing inaccurate and misleading information to airline passengers and the media regarding the new passenger rights legislation, contending that posters, leaflets, videos, media and website materials issued by the EC provide erroneous information regarding compensation for those whose flights are delayed or cancelled and that the information is harmful to airlines.

Air Malta, Europcar renew flydrive deal

Luqa, 27/05/05 - Air Malta and Europcar have renewed their partnership agreement and signed a further two-year contract to operate the Flydrive programme. This agreement offers Air Malta customers the possibility to rent cars with Europcar at discounted rates throughout the airline's network of 50 destinations.

The agreement was signed by Dominic Attard, KM's chief officer strategic planning; by Salvatore Catania, CEO of Europcar International and by Nikki Zahra, managing director of Europcar's local franchise in Malta, Alpine Rent-a-car.

Speaking after the signing the agreement Attard said, "this is another milestone in our plan to strengthen relations with strategic stakeholders.  Europcar is a quality partner that brings in benefits to our customers.  Therefore this is more good news to our passengers. We are rapidly expanding our portfolio of partnerships with quality airlines and travel stakeholders.  This is a commitment we have with the market and with our community in Malta.

"Both Air Malta and Europcar share the same goals of providing the highest levels of customer service and satisfaction not only through value-for-money prices but also by providing them with a hassle-free all-round travel experience. Since its introduction 10 years ago the Flydrive programme has attracted an increasing number of customers", added Attard.

Zahra said, "the best way to see the Maltese islands at your own pace is by car. Europcar and Air Malta under the partnership agreement work together to ensure both in- and out-bound passengers benefit from preferential and all-inclusive rates, and a smooth booking process. The Flydrive model enables us to do this. Passengers can now even book their car rental directly on Air Malta's website".

The Flydrive offer available to Air Malta passengers includes: unlimited mileage, collision damage waiver, theft waiver and local taxes.

Eco measures cut Victoria Hotel's bed night costs

Sliema, 27/05/05 - The four star Victoria Hotel has managed to reduce the cost of a bed night by a third, simply by adopting eco-friendly measures.

For starters, there is a lot less paper work at the Victoria nowadays. "There has been a general reduction in the use of paper and paper materials and, where possible, we reuse what we can", a hotel staffer says. Moreover, great emphasis has been made on the use of biodegradable items and cleaning materials. And waste is now separated at source and disposed of in a systematic and more hygienic manner.

"These plus other measures, such as energy and water consumption savings, have not only greatly contributed to a highly desired eco-friendlier environment, but have also proved cost effective to the extent that the Victoria Hotel has been able to reduce the cost of a bed night by 33 per cent".

The Victoria, meantime, has been accredited for the fourth year as a Hospitality Assured property. It is one of a handful of hotels and restaurants on the islands that are HA accredited.

Each year since 2001 the Hospitality Assured assessment team has visited the property to judge service standards, and it has always walked away satisfied.

MTA closes for team-building

Valletta, 27/05/05 - The Malta Tourism Authority has taken the day off from work and gone team-building. Consequently its Merchant Street head office is closed today.

However, the authority's four information centres will remain open as usual.

EU to sue members slow to handle flight complaints

Brussels, 23/05/05 - The European Commission threatened legal action against member states slow to deal with complaints from air passengers, reports Reuters.

The EU introduced new rules on 17 February giving greater protection to passengers if their flight is cancelled or they suffer long delays.

The 25 member states were required to set up bodies to deal with passenger complaints to avoid expensive court cases, and all have done so except Luxembourg and Ireland.

"Since the regulation entered into force, the commission has received 10 times as many complaints from passengers as before," a Brussels executive said in a statement after meeting with the new national bodies.

Under the new EU rules, airlines will have to pay passengers up to Eur600 (Lm257) if they were denied a seat because of overbooking. Passengers whose flights are seriously delayed or cancelled must be given food and, if necessary, accommodation.

The airline industry, struggling to make profits in the face of increasing competition, criticized the new rules.

The commission said the new bodies were often unable to process complaints efficiently and their approach differed from one country to another, the commission added.

They have been asked to give details about the government resources they have received and the number of complaints lodged and dealt with.

"The commission will examine this information carefully, and reserves the right to initiate infringement proceedings if it ascertains that the member states are not giving due priority to the protection of air passengers' rights and are not applying the European regulation", the commission said.

Tourism departures down in April

Valletta, 23/05/05 - Figures released by Malta International Airport indicate a 6.9 per cent drop in tourist departures in April. At 321,038 overall departure figures for the first four months of the year are marginally better than those for the same period in 2004. The timing of Easter each year has an impact on tourism.

"This year Easter was celebrated in March. This explains the 8.5 per cent increase in departures in March and any drop in tourism figures for April", a tourism and culture ministry press release says.

MTA saves Lm0.33mn in administration costs

Valletta, 23/05/05 - The restructuring of the Malta Tourism Authority should release funds spent on administration for marketing and promotion, the Ministry for Tourism and Culture says in a press release.

Since the launch of the restructuring programme last year the MTA has already saved Lm342,000 in administration costs, according to the ministry.

"The restructuring exercise is proceeding as planned. A complete human resource audit is underway", says the ministry.

Tourists can siesta peacefully this summer

Valletta, 23/05/05 - From 1 July to 30 September all construction work in tourist areas has to stop between 14:00 and 15:30, presumably so that tourists can nap in peace.

The Ministry for Tourism and Culture is banning all road and trenching works by government departments in tourist zones, and set times for building works on private sector projects, from July to September.

The ministry, the Building Industry Consultative Committee (BICC), the General Retailers and Traders Union (GRTU) and the Federation of the Building and Civil Engineering Contractors (FOBC) have agreed on measures to minimise noise and disturbances during the high season in tourist areas.

Contractors have been supplied with maps which indicate where works can be carried on certain conditions during the peak summer months.

From 1 July to 30 September heavy-duty work will be governed by the following regulations:
• Construction work will not start before 08:00
• Work is to be suspended between 14:00 and 15:30
• No demolition works from July to September
• No excavation and rock cutting from July to September, however ripping and loading of already excavated material is allowed.

EU funding okayed for MHRA project

Sliema, 23/05/05 - The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association's 3 Star Sub-Committee in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority and foreign partner Failte Ireland (Irish Tourism Association) have obtained EU funding for their mobility project, under the Leonardo de Vinci programme, for managers working in two and three star hotels.

The MHRA and the MTA will be responsible for the management of this programme that is targeting hotel managers in SMEs. The programme will give participants the chance to experience operational practices in Ireland and participate in field talks given to further enhance and develop their skills towards quality tourism. The programme will be covered over a seven-day period in November.

"The MHRA is highly confident that this pilot project will be a success and a start towards improving the management practices within the national SME tourism sector", an association spokesman said.

People wanting more information on the programme should call the MHRA on 21318133/4 or email the association at mhra@onvol.net.

CHI opens Nordic sales office

Floriana, 23/05/05 - Corinthia Hotels International has appointed Stockholm-based HTMS Scandinavia as its regional sales office for Sweden, Norway and Finland. This is Corinthia's second presence in the Nordic countries, where it has been operating a sales office in Copenhagen for the last seven years.

HTMS managing director Paul Murcia said he is "thrilled that we have been chosen to represent Corinthia Hotels International".

"Scandinavia is strategically a very important market for Corinthia and we are very pleased to be adding the experience of HTMS to our sales network", commented Corinthia's group director of sales and marketing Geoff Andrew.

Canada to cut airport rents

Ottawa, 23/05/05 - Canada will reduce rents at federally owned airports by more than 60 percent to relieve the pressure on operators and help cut air fares, Transport Minister Jean Lapierre said.

Lapierre told Reuters the move would save operators close to $C8 billion (Lm21.7bn) over the course of their existing 60 year leases. Airport operators have long complained that high rents force them to charge airlines expensive landing fees.

"It is anticipated that significant portions of the savings from present and future rent reductions will translate into lower air fares for passengers," Lapierre's ministry said in a statement.

"The government expects airport authorities to pass on savings through fee reductions," the transport ministry said.

Vienna Airport reports flat Q1 profit

Vienna, 23/05/05 - Vienna International Airport operator Flughafen Wien - shareholders and managers of Malta International Airport - reported on Thursday flat first-quarter operating profit, roughly in line with analysts' forecasts, as price cutting reduced turnover, writes Reuters.

Earnings before interest and tax reached Eur21.6 million (Lm1.2mn) in the three months to 31 March, matching the figure for the same period of last year.

Despite a 7.3 per cent increase in passenger traffic, Q1 turnover grew just 0.4 per cent to Eur91.8 million (Lm39.3mn) from Eur91.4 million (Lm39.1mn) a year earlier, Flughafen said.

"The measures taken last year to secure the airport's competitiveness, such as the reduction of landing and parking charges from 1 October 2004...caused the weak increase in turnover compared to the traffic development," Flughafen said.

Net profit rose 1.3 per cent to Eur16.8 million (Lm7.2mn), it added.

The cost of materials and services grew 18.7 per cent to Eur10 million (Lm7.2mn), partly because of higher fuel costs, while personnel expenses rose 10.4 percent to Eur43.1 million (Lm18.6mn) as staff increased due to higher traffic and salaries rose.

Following a decrease in the Austrian corporate tax rate, however, taxes on Flughafen's income fell 18.3 per cent to Eur5.3 million (Lm2.3mn).

MTA to develop new sandy beach at Qawra

Valletta, 19/05/05 - The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) is working on a project involving the placement of sand on an existing site close to the Dolmen Resort Hotel in Qawra.

The project, price tagged at Lm350,000, has been approved by the prime minister-led Inter-ministerial Committee on Tourism.

MTA product planning and development director Mario Attard says this site was chosen “after research established that 36 per cent of tourism accommodation establishments are found in the area. Consequently, easy access to a sandy beach will significantly enhance visitor experience”.

The sand to be used will be imported and will be similar to that at St George’s Bay. The new site measures around 4,000 square metres, double the size of St George’s Bay.

"The MTA is aware that once the sand is in place, there needs to be effective beach management”, says Attard. “The overriding objective is to keep the beach clean and generally ensure that it can be used by the public without being subjected to any nuisance”.

The new beach, which should be completed by summer 2006, will be totally accessible to the general public.

No opinion from council over St George's Bay concession

Mosta, 11/05/05 - Getting a concession on a beach is not cheap. The Eden Leisure Group has already forked out Lm13,500 in contract costs to develop the concession at St George's Bay it obtained from the government, Island Travel Trader Online has learned. (See Eden Leisure rents St George’s Bay.)

It will also have to pay an annual rent of Lm8,300 to the state and a further Lm25,000 a year to the Malta Tourism Authority. These rents will increase by 10 per cent periodically.

In return, the Eden Leisure Group's InterContinental hotel gets to operate for 50 years a restaurant and snack bar - located on a 488 square metre, concrete platform on the southern side of the bay - plus a kiosk in the centre of the bay. InterContinental has the sole right to hire out sun beds and parasols on the public beach.

The St Julian's local council, meanwhile, has requested a meeting with the minister for tourism to discuss Eden Leisure's concession. The council, according to The Malta Independent, has "still to express itself on the matter".

St Paul's Bay hotel closes

Mosta, 11/05/05 - The two star, 21 room Xemxija Bay Hotel at the foot of Xemxija Hill has closed down. The hotel's furniture and fixings were auctioned at the end of April.

MTA closes Lapsi hotels

Mosta, 11/05/05 - Sliema's four star Lapsi hotels - the Lapsi Waterside and the Lapsi Townhouse - were closed by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) on 4 March.

The decision was taken after an inspection in connection with a complaint; The health authorities were also informed of the MTA's findings and ordered the closure of the hotel's kitchens and bar.

Enemalta, meanwhile, cut off the power supply to the Lapsi and "essential facilities such as lifts, freezers, lighting, etc could not be provided".

"The hotel was not abiding with a number of the standards stipulated by legal notice 82 of 2002 which regulates the hotel industry", the MTA told Island Travel Trader Online, consequently an "enforcement notice was issued and is still in force".

However, it seems that the Lapsi's owners wanted to close the hotel anyway. Affixed to its wall is a Malta Environment and Planning Authority permit dated 8 July 2004 granting permission to convert the hotel into "apartments, parking spaces and coffee shop".

Charter traffic boosts KM's Q1 results

Luqa, 10/05/05 - In Q1 of 2005 Air Malta carried 15 per cent more passengers when compared to the same period last year. Traffic on scheduled services decreased by one per cent to 241,863 passengers while charter traffic to Malta rose by 56 per cent to 30,900 passengers. In addition the airline carried a further 52,000 passengers on its UK-based charter operations and 4,000 passengers on its intra-European flights. The airline also improved its punctuality by three per cent over the same period last year.

Commenting on these results Ernst Funk, KM's CEO said that although the increase was mainly driven by charter traffic, the new opportunities that Air Malta is exploiting, like the UK bases and intra-European flights, have helped the airline to sustain growth in the airline's activities which is vital to improve its revenue streams.

"These results confirm that Air Malta is moving ahead to meet the objectives of the rescue plan. Air Malta will continue to put all its abilities and resources to retain its primary position in the air transport scene in Malta. Having achieved substantial improvements in revenue streams and cost containment Air Malta, like the rest of the aviation industry, is facing unprecedented costs for its jet fuel. We still have some hedges in place for this summer but further hikes in the cost of fuel will have negative effects and hinder the results achieved so far".

The airline is facing strong competition from new competitors both in its air transportation as well as in aircraft ground handling at its base in Malta. "We are facing competition head on; we depend to a very large extent on the success of Malta's ability to increase tourist numbers to Malta. Therefore it is for this reason that we are very active in the main tourist markets promoting Malta first along with our services. We remain committed to promote Malta and to support our community in Malta" maintained the CEO.

The airline is the biggest ground handling provider at MIA with another company having recently set up a competitive operation. The ground handling activities of Air Malta is a labour intensive operation with some 700 directly involved in providing passenger, cargo and aircraft handling services for the airline's operations and to a number of customers.

New GM for bigger Maritim

Mellieha, 09/05/05 - Peter Rieks is the new general manager of the four star Maritim Antonine Hotel & Spa. He took over from Marcus Baars - who was reassigned to Bonn - in mid-April. Rieks takes over weeks from the opening of the former La Salita Hotel as an extension of the Maritim.

The 82 rooms of the Salita have been reduced to 62, so that guest rooms are that much bigger than before, and will be furnished to the same standard as the Maritim except that they will have flat screen TV sets. Moreover, the top floor has been converted into a penthouse complete with kitchen, swimming pool and whirlpool.

With the opening in the first half of June of the former Salita as part of the Maritim Antonine, the German-run property will have 170 rooms. All but one food and beverage outlet will be located in the Maritim Antonine building, which is linked to the Salita by tunnel. The popular lounge bar 120 will remain housed in the revamped building.

MHRA cautions members over TUI contracts

Mosta, 09/05/05 - Summer has hardly started, yet tour operators are already negotiating and signing contracts for the winter season. However, there is a new twist in some of the contracts being negotiated that has angered hoteliers.

Island Travel Trader Online has learned that TUI Germany has added new clauses to their 'winter' contracts that penalise hoteliers in the event of stop sales.

Apparently, if a hotel issues a stop sale for a 10 day period TUI "reserves the right" to deduct one per cent from total turnover, two per cent if the period is more than 20 days and five per cent if the stop sale period is 30 days or longer.

The German tour operator has also included a clause dealing with compensation from complaints. TUI says it will deduct 80 per cent of the value of a claim if it considers the complaint valid.

This clause allegedly stipulates that a complaint may be made up to three months after a tourist's departure from Malta. Normally hotel managers will not consider any claims for compensation unless a complaint is lodged before checking-out.

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, meanwhile, "deems these clauses completely unacceptable and recommends that no such conditions are to be considered as forming part of the contract".

No sidetracking MHRA from 'championing' tourism

Sliema, 09/05/05 - The war of accusations and counter-accusations over illegal hunting between the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) and the Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FHC) continues. The MHRA issued a press release on Friday in response to the FHC's open letter of 25 April. (See Hunters accuse MHRA president of ignorance.)

The MHRA writes:

"It grieves us to note that the Federation for Hunting and Conservation has misinterpreted our statements in respect of illegal hunting, an activity which the federation itself condemns in the very letter under reference. It is also a matter of concern to us that the federation should attribute to MHRA motives that are far from the truth.

MHRA blows nobody's trumpet except that of hoteliers, restaurateurs and other stakeholders in the tourism industry. The issues which the federation listed in its letter are high on the MHRA's agenda and the association works on them incessantly. The MHRA makes continuous pressure on the authorities to control the construction industry, particularly in tourism zones - be they on our doorstep or elsewhere; control the environment effectively; plan and execute road works in a manner that does not affect tourism; and makes representations on all matters that in any way damage Malta's image in our source markets.  The lack of progress achieved on some of these issues is certainly not a result of any omission of the MHRA.

The federation's objection to the use of the word slaughter with reference to the swan incident of 2004 is not understood, especially as it comes after the federation condemns illegal hunting in its letter.

We again applaud the donation of a powerboat to the police. On this matter the federation seems to assume that the boat would be used now - this was not said in our statements.

The derogatory remarks passed by the federation only reflect negatively on the Federation for Hunting and Conservation itself. The MHRA will not be alienated or deviated from its spotless record of being the champion of all things promoting tourism and being outspoken against anything that harms the investment of our members or the livelihood of so many Maltese who are themselves dependent directly or indirectly on the tourism industry."

Eden Leisure rents St George’s Bay

Mosta, 05/05/05 – The Eden Leisure Group and the five star InterContinental Malta have been granted St George’s Bay beach on a long emphyteusis, Island Travel Trader Online has learned.

The development will consist of two waterfront restaurants, a lounge bar, a 600 square metre lido for the InterContinental and a kiosk in the centre of the beach providing services to the public. The operator will also have the sole right to hire out sun beds and parasols on the public beach.

Westin Dragonara adds 29 upscale suites

St Julian's, 04/05/05 - The 312 room Westin Dragonara Resort will be adding another 29 suites later this month. The Dragonara Luxury Bay Suites "will offer an unforgettable experience and their design is breathtaking by day and exciting by night".

The spacious hallway leads to a large open space of subtle colours and details, "which make these suites a cut above the rest".

The living area, with its monochromatic scheme with just a hint of colour, leads on to the large bay terrace. The living area is decorated with a comfortable leather divan-bed and armchairs and boasts top of the range equipment like a plasma screen and DVD player.

A concealable kitchen across the living room - complete with a microwave oven, hob and refrigerator - offers the advantage of being able to convert the suite into a self-catering unit. A dining table seating four completes the kitchen.

Modern geometry meets artful expression in the bedroom, where Westin's signature bed, a king-size Heavenly Bed, stands. A wide door leads on to another large terrace, also enjoying sea views. The bedroom is complemented with an en suite bathroom featuring his and hers vanity unit, a Jacuzzi bath and heated towel rail.

The Dragonara Luxury Bay Suites also include a walk-in closet providing storage space, a writing desk complete with various socket outlets and Internet connection as well as a second bathroom equipped with a vanity basin, toilet and shower cubicle.

Sunways for Danes

Mosta, 04/05/05 – Sunways is a new Mosta-based agency specialising in incoming traffic, specifically in the Danish market operations manager Keith Attard tells Island Travel Trader Online.

Sunways was set up three months ago and plans to cater to other markets as its business expands.

The company is located at 9 Oratory Street, Mosta. Tel 21421292 Fax 21421395 Email keith@sunways.com.mt Site www.sunways.com.mt.

MTA gets into palmistry

Valletta, 04/05/05 - Since the beginning of May all staffers at the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), including senior management, have started using a palm reader time and attendance registration system.

MTA executive chairman Romwald Lungaro-Mifsud (left), who has started signing in using this electronic system, says the scope of this measure is threefold:

"First, in case of an emergency, we need to be in a position to ascertain who is in the building.

"Secondly, we need to send out the message to all our stakeholders that the members of staff of the authority, at all levels, are accountable.

"Finally, we are striving to make the authority more efficient and cost-effective in its operations."

The palm reader is being used not only on arrival and departure from the authority's head office, but also each time staff members are required to leave the building and when returning to their offices.

Bayview upgrades its offer

Gzira, 04/05/05 - The former two star Hotel Petit Paradis has been refurbished and rebranded as the Hotel Bayview, and is now a three star property.

The 137 twin-bedded rooms are air-conditioned, have a balcony, bathroom, direct dial telephone, television with satellite channels and a safe deposit box.

The property's 35 self-catering studios, meantime, are furnished as the hotel rooms, but boast a fully-equipped kitchen. Additionally there are eight self-catering, one bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments.

The hotel's reception area has been enlarged and renovated and has a bar with Internet facilities open 24 hours a day.

On the leisure front a new outdoor pool with a larger sunbathing area and a new snack bar are now available, along with a new gym and a sauna. For the less energetic a new games room with hi-tech electronic games has been opened.

The Bayview has three restaurants: one serving Chinese cuisine, one Indian and one international fare.

EU approves aid for Cyprus Airways

Brussels, 04/05/05 - Cyprus Airways won European Commission approval on Tuesday for a government-backed loan guarantee after the Brussels-based executive said the aid did not break European Union rules, Reuters reports.

The commission said it allowed Cyprus to support the flag carrier through a loan guarantee of £C30 million (Lm22.12mn) for the next six months "so as to allow the authorities to organise the restructuring of the airline".

It said the amount of aid was limited to what was needed to manage the carrier's short-term cash flow deficit and that Cyprus authorities had committed to providing the commission with a restructuring plan for the airline within six months.

"The possibility of the aid having any adverse spill-over effects on other member states is limited by its size, its short duration and the relatively small size of the recipient," the commission said in a statement.

"The aid is also warranted on the grounds of serious social difficulties," it said, adding 2,400 people worked for companies within the Cyprus Airways group.

The majority state-controlled airline said in February it made a pre-tax loss of £C36.9 million (Lm27.2mn) in 2004, hit by tougher competition, and said it required government guarantees to finance its operational needs both in the short and long term.

Gozo's EU funds channelled towards tourism improvements

Victoria, 04/05/05 - "Visiting tourists should be provided with full information on Gozo's attractions whilst in Malta as this would help to make their holiday even more complete with a visit and, possibly, a brief stay on Gozo," says Minister for Gozo, Giovanna Debono.

Apart from its attraction as a holiday destination in its own right, Gozo provides added value to a Malta holiday for visitors who would thus practically have a two-point holiday.

"Government is continually seeking to improve the tourism product offered on Gozo and continues to enhance the experience of a visit on the island.

"It is for this reason that the Ministry for Gozo is channelling the majority of Gozo-specific EU funds towards improving the facilities and services offered on the island", says Debono. "Funds are specifically going towards diving tourism, the culture-related product as well as the quality of service offered from catering establishments".

Air Malta and MIM pen agreement

Luqa, 03/05/05 - Air Malta and the Malta Institute of Management (MIM) have signed a three-year agreement that will "further strengthen the existing ties between the national airline and the institute. Through this agreement both organisations will substantially benefit from each other's professional support".

According to this agreement MIM will grant special rates to Air Malta employees wishing to enrol as students for a masters in business administration (MBA) and diploma in general management of the Maastricht School of Management and other programmes offered by the Edinburgh Business School. MIM will also organise short courses and seminars for the airline. In return Air Malta will be granted the title of official carrier of MIM.

IPL publish ‘05 edition of Malta travel yearbook

Mosta, 02/05/05 - Need to know who is the general manager of Destination Malta? Or whether the Meridien St Julians’ conference rooms have natural light? Or how many Greeks visited Malta in May 2000? The answers to these and many other questions can be found in ITY 2005.

Island Publications (IPL) has published the fifteenth edition of their travel trade annual - Island Travel Yearbook 2005.

The 248-page publication provides speedy access to the names, addresses, communications details and personnel information for all companies involved in Malta’s travel industry.

Additionally Island Travel Yearbook 2005 contains travel related statistics and data, full details on the major conference venues, information on yachting and anchorages, a comprehensive listing of all airlines that serve Malta, car rental companies, ferry services, forex companies, travel agencies, tour operators, the accommodation sector, diving schools, English language schools, plus exhaustive chapters on general information, museums and places of interest.

Island Publications broke new ground in 1991 when it published the first photographic who’s who in Malta. This winning formula is again repeated in ITY 2005.

The who’s who contains bio-data, plus portraits of more than 200 senior executives involved in all sectors of the travel and tourism industry and relevant government agencies.

Says IPL Managing Director and the yearbook’s publisher Terence Mirabelli: “ITY filled a void when it was first published in 1991; the yearbook has become an essential reference source for the industry - not only in Malta but also abroad.”

The yearbook, updated annually, is available at Lm9 (inclusive of VAT) directly from the publishers and from leading bookshops and newsagents in Malta and Gozo. It is also available online from the Malta Online Bookshop at www.maltaonlinebookshop.

Hunters accuse MHRA president of ignorance

Mosta, 02/05/05 - The Federation for Hunting and Conservation did not take kindly to the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association's press release of 19 April in which the latter accused hunters of undermining the country's tourism industry (see MHRA calls for curbs on illegal hunting).

In response, the hunters' federation sent Island Travel Trader Online the following open letter addressed to the MHRA's president, Justin Zammit Tabona:

"Dear Sir,
The Federation for Hunting and Conservation - Malta refers to your media release of the 19th instant.

It is very evident from the contents of this document that you have very little, or no knowledge at all, about the local tradition of hunting, legal or otherwise, and that you may be blowing someone else's horn when blaming hunting for problems tourism is encountering at present.

The MHRA should address the real issues affecting tourism, some of which being:
• uncontrolled building in tourism zones
• mess and dust left uncollected on pavements and streets as a result of the above (under separate cover we will supply you with pictures of such occurrences right on your doorstep)
• general shabbiness of the islands in general
• disastrous roads and pavements
• unorthodox measures by essential service providers to hotels  
• overcharging by service providers
• malicious journalism about tourism, both local and foreign, etc, etc.

You can rest assured that the thousands of hunters who are directly or indirectly involved in tourism are responsible enough not to allow the practice of their passion to harm their very livelihood. However, unfortunately there are always the few who persist in breaking hunting regulations, something that our federation has always condemned and continuously works towards curbing, just as there are maybe not so few drivers that continue to break driving regulations.

The influence of some other anti-hunting entity is once again evident when you use emotional words such as 'slaughter', and your lack of information about the subject matter is yet again very manifest when you applaud the donation of a powerboat to the police to assist in the curbing of sea-borne illegal hunters. You see, patrolling of the coastline for illegal hunting at this time of year is a waste of public time and money. If you want our opinion, maybe such patrolling for illegal immigrants would make more sense.

So finally, and also for the good of tourism, we suggest you stick to what you should be well-read in, avoid subjects you very evidently have no facts about, and most importantly, avoid leading the good and professional reputation of the MHRA into decay as a consequence of others influence with malicious intention and agenda besides any good for tourism.

Sincerely,
Lino Farrugia
Secretary"

Besides being the hunters' federation's secretary, Lino Farrugia is a hotelier.