Qantas moves for more code sharing with KM

Mosta, 25/10/05 - Qantas Airways has applied to the Australian International Air Services Commission to start code-share arrangements with Air Malta on its daily services to the UK via Singapore, reports Melbourne's The Age.

The arrangement would be in addition to the existing code sharing between the two carriers on Qantas services between Australia and the UK via Bangkok.

In its application Qantas said Air Malta would carry the Qantas code between Melbourne and London via Singapore.

"Air Malta will offer seats on these flights on a free sale basis and will set its airfares independently of Qantas," the application said.

The flights would connect with Air Malta services between London and Malta.

European low cost seat capacities up by 29%

Mosta, 25/10/05 - European low-cost seat capacity rose by 29 per cent in 2004, accounting for 22 per cent of intra-European capacity - up from 11 per cent in 2002 - and "in excess of 30 per cent of all passengers travelling on intra-European routes," according to Route Development Co.'s recently released Low-Cost Monitor 2005 writes Perry Flint in ATWOnline.

Traditional carriers, meanwhile, "remained almost static in 2003 and increased seat capacity by only two per cent in 2004, according to the study. It reveals that 35 airports within Europe rely on LCCs for more than 95 per cent of annual departures offered and that 233 airports have some level of low-cost presence.

London Stansted remains the largest low-cost hub in Europe, offering 12 million departing LCC seats in 2004. Ryanair and easyJet dominate the market segment, with nearly 50 per cent of low-cost seats on offer. But the rest of the sector is highly fragmented: 33 carriers tracked by the Monitor provide the remaining 50 per cent, with Air Berlin having just 7.4 per cent.

The report notes that Ryanair and easyJet "now offer more intra-European seats than a number of European majors including KLM, Swiss and Alitalia, and of those larger network airlines, only Lufthansa offered growth in capacity in both 2003 and 2004."

The UK and Germany dominate in terms of low-cost capacity available, accounting for "just under the half of the total." LCCs operated in 472 international city-pair markets touching Germany and 96 domestic German markets. For the UK, the numbers were 464 and 90 respectively. Spain was third, "but this predominantly is driven by the inbound capacity offered by non-Spanish carriers," according to the Monitor.

First edition of hospitality and leisure fair slated for November

Mosta, 25/10/05 - The first Hospitality & Leisure Trade Fair will take place from 7 to 9 November at the Trade Fair Grounds in Naxxar. At the time of writing some 50 companies will be exhibiting at the show.

The three-day fair will target people in the hotel and restaurant trade and seeks to provide a forum to bring together key users, suppliers and buyers from the local hospitality and leisure industry who are looking for more effective ways to run their businesses.

This is a first in organising a hospitality industry business-to-business trade event across a diverse range of sectors that bring buyer and seller face-to-face.

The organisers, Crest Limited and Zaffaresse Exhibitions & Events Limited, are giving trade groups the opportunity to visit the Hospitality & Leisure Trade Fair to learn what tourism has in store for 2006. "This", say the organisers, "is the industry's chance to get the latest information on all the key challenges that face the sector, to meet with industry colleagues, network, see the latest innovations and get a taste of what Malta has to offer the hospitality industry".

The event will also feature seminars, workshops, stands and presentations from a wide variety of industry sources. Dr Joe Zammit Maempel, chairman of the Gaming Authority, will be holding a seminar on gaming laws while local suppliers and exhibitors will hold workshops and tastings for chefs, food and beverage managers and other key "specifiers".

"Buyers from bistros to hotel chains are always on the look-out for new products, and the Hospitality & Leisure Trade Fair is just the place to help them find inspiration", says Crest's managing director Victor Calleja.

With anticipated visitors ranging right across the sector from academics and students to entrepreneurs and professionals, exhibiting companies will have the opportunity to launch new products or promote established brands, as well as to make contacts and cement business relationships across the hospitality and leisure industry. The majority of visitors are expected to be decision makers in their organisations.

The Hospitality & Leisure Trade Fair - which is being planned as a biannual event - is being held under the auspices of the Ministry for Tourism and Culture and supported by the Malta Tourism Authority, the Malta Hotels and restaurants Association and the Institute of Tourism Studies.

Taxes bite into August travel figures

Valletta, 17/10/05 - The increase in travel taxes made a dent in the number of Malta residents going abroad in August. In the peak summer month 30,022 people left the islands, of these 26,076 travelled by air - a drop of 10.5 per cent when compared to August 2004.

This dramatic drop in departures can only be attributed to the doubling of the departure tax on 1 August from Lm10 to Lm20 per person.

Meantime, between January and August this year the United Kingdom continued to be the favourite destination for Malta-based travellers, with 22.2 per cent of the total number going to the former colonial power, the National Statistics Office reports.

Italy was the next most popular destination with 20.7 per cent, Tunisia was third with 8.1 per cent followed by Germany (5.9 per cent), France (6.2 per cent), the Netherlands (2.8 per cent) and Spain (2.3 per cent).

However, when compared to first eight months of last year, Malta-based departures to the United Kingdom dropped by 0.9 per cent. Other decreases to other destinations were France (-11.7 per cent), Italy (-5.8 per cent) and Spain (-6.5 per cent). On the other hand, there were increases in departures to Germany (16.5 per cent), Tunisia (13.2 per cent) and the Netherlands (28.9 per cent).

Ramla Bay Resort plans second winter closure

Marfa, 16/10/05 - The Ramla Bay Resort closed last winter for what it called 'refurbishment'. It was more like a rebuild, because there is no way anyone would recognise the original hotel. This new elegant property, however, will close again this winter for more work.

The hotel will be closed from 4 December to 20 February 2006 to finish off the bits and pieces that were not completed earlier this year.

As part of last winter’s refurbishment programme a floor was added increasing the number of rooms from 120 to 190. These are decorated in light Mediterranean colours, are larger than average and offer all the facilities and goodies you would expect from a four star hotel. Most have sea views and large balconies.

The Ramla Bay now sells two types of rooms – comfort and panoramic. The 138 comfort rooms come with direct dial telephone, safe, hairdryer, satellite TV and radio and an empty mini bar. Some comfort rooms can sleep up to four.

The 19 panoramic rooms, on the other hand, are situated on the new the third floor and are the latest addition to the resort. These “offer cheerful settings and new furnishings”, have all the amenities found in comfort rooms but also have tea and coffee making facilities and a stocked mini bar. There are also 15 panoramic de luxe and panoramic suites; these are larger than the other varieties and have sitting rooms and two bathrooms. The Ramla Grand Suite is the name given to the property’s presidential suite.

The Lm2.5 million (€5.8mn) refurbishment also included the rebuilding of the lobby and most of the public areas plus the construction a completely new conference centre and spa.

The Ramla Bay now has 10 rooms, with capacities ranging from 40-seated theatre style to 390, available for meetings. “With the new conference halls and the facilities available, this is a market we are planning to break into”, says hotel general manager Taziana Grech.

The spa, meanwhile, includes a gym, an indoor heated pool, sauna, steam room, whirlpool and rooms for massages and other treatments.

The property’s large gardens now have gazebos dotted around and a new outdoor pool has been built a little higher than the existing one and linked to it by chute.

On the F&B side the hotel’s existing main restaurant has been enlarged and revamped. It now features a live cooking station and indoor and outdoor dining areas. The lobby bar has had a major face-lift as well; and by the pool area there is a new snack bar.

Last winter’s refurbishment programme concentrated on building works and a general makeover of the hotel; this winter’s closure will see the completion of the outdoor areas, the installation of wood panelling in the lobby and adding the final touches to the conference centre and spa.

The Ramla Bay has been around for a long time, since the late 1960s, but this incarnation has effectively broken the mould. This is a spanking new resort hotel that has severed all links with its past. And to signal this metamorphosis it has also ditched its long-used logo for a new one that screams elegance and style.

Labour shortage delays Virtu's jumbo catamaran

Ta' Xbiex, 13/10/05 - Virtu Ferries's jumbo catamaran, the Maria Dolores (left), that was to arrive in Malta in summer will now be delivered by Austal Ships - its Australian builders - in January 2006. It will start services to Sicily and the toe of Italy in February.

The delay, according to Virtu Ferries and Austal Ships, is because of a labour shortage in western Australia. The Maria Dolores was built at the Austal yard in Fremantle and is now awaiting sea trials, scheduled for the first week in November.

The Maria Dolores, which will fly the Maltese flag, was designed for the Malta-Sicily-Reggio Calabria route. The vessel will carry 600 passengers in two lounges - coach and club - 65 cars and 10 trucks or coaches. On-board facilities include shops, catering and recreational areas. The catamaran will have a cruising speed of 36 knots with a crossing time of 90 minutes to Pozallo, three hours to Catania and four and a half hours to Reggio Calabria. Ta' Xbiex-based Virtu Ferries is planning a year-round scheduled service linking the islands to Sicily and mainland Italy.

Meantime, the company is marketing its services to European touring clubs to attract the growing camper and self-drive holiday segments.

"There has been a significant increase in family car travel since the introduction of the high speed car-carrying catamaran, the San Gwann, in 2001. With the Maria Dolores in service we expect a further boost in this type of traffic", says Virtu's director Henri Saliba.

"Maltese owned coach companies are also looking at the opportunity of expanding their operations abroad and this service will help reduce the cost of group travel originating in Malta. Local tour operators have welcomed this convenient new form of travel", adds Saliba.

MTA closes overseas offices, becomes more efficient and accountable

Valletta, 13/10/05 - "An exercise designed to make the Malta Tourism Authority more efficient, more effective and more accountable...is in its concluding phase and will be finalised over the coming weeks, says the authority in a press release.

Work on the restructuring of the authority's overseas sales network and the way it operates has been proceeding at a rapid pace and the new structure is currently being put into place. The MTA's offices in the UK and Germany are being retained.

The authority's London office will also be coordinating marketing activities in Ireland, while the Frankfurt office will also be responsible for coordinating the MTA's marketing programme in Austria and Switzerland.

In Italy there has been a seamless changeover following the closure of the MTA's Milan office. The marketing of Malta in this market has been handed over to the MTA's longstanding PR agent, Adam and Partner.

Likewise, the offices in France, the Netherlands, Russia and Sweden are being closed and representatives will be appointed.

In line with the authority's commitment to segment-driven marketing, the MTA's Valletta head office will now house a team of segment specialists who will be sourcing business for Malta abroad, in their respective segments.

The restructuring of the authority will also be started in the next few days. A human resource profiling exercise, which was carried out last spring, has been dovetailed into the new organigram, while job descriptions for individual posts have been drawn up.

The final objective is to have a "cost-effective authority that reflects the needs of a dynamic industry".

Parallel with the MTA's restructuring is the branding of Malta, which "is gaining momentum", the MTA reports. The tender to select a creative design company is expected to take between six and eight months. However, steps are already being taken to streamline the MTA's advertising in all source markets. This means that all of the authority's new marketing and advertising campaigns will be carried out in line with guidelines set out during the MTA branding workshop held in July.

MHRA accuses MTA of not meeting commitments

Sliema, 13/10/05 - The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association is miffed with what it considers are the MTA's platitudes over its restructuring and the branding of the country.

"The MHRA", says an association statement, "regards as another setback to Maltese tourism the missed deadline of September 2005 to have the restructuring of the Malta Tourism Authority in place. The restructuring, when completed, should mark a new beginning in the marketing of Malta overseas, and the sooner this starts gathering momentum the better for all involved in tourism".

MHRA president Justin Zammit Tabona says this is another self-imposed target that has been missed, keeping the promotion machine of destination Malta on idle. The association, adds Zammit Tabona, appreciates the complexity of restructuring, but the long wait for completing this change is bound to have a negative effect on the morale of the staff.

"It is for these reasons that we urge government to settle the restructuring exercise without delay".

The government, says the MHRA, must not allow Malta's tourism promotion machine to continue to lose its effectiveness. The MTA restructuring must be addressed with the urgency and importance that they deserve. "The stakes are too high", says Zammit Tabona.

The MHRA claims that it has repeatedly emphasised that the present situation in the tourism industry calls for action rather than stating intentions or compiling reports. "We are building a culture of finding good reasons for not meeting commitments, the MTA restructuring is a case in point".

The industry has had a bad year, and the coming winter does not hold promise of growth, says the association. Hotels are seeing their profits shrinking and tourists are spending fewer nights and less money in Malta.

"Tourism statistics this year have made drab reading, but when they translate to the financial performance of individual establishments, the need for urgent action stares us in the face".