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People & Events archive 2008 - January/June • |
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January/June 2008 |
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De Cesare appointed MHRA president Sliema, 30/05/08 - Kevin De Cesare has been elected president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) following Josef Formosa Gauci's resignation due to his appointment as CEO at the Malta Tourism Authority. De Cesare, who is executive director of the Eden Leisure Group, comes from a family with a long history in the hospitality industry. He has been a MHRA council member for a number of years and has also been member of the tourism consultative group appointed by the premier in 2006. Michael Zammit Tabona and Winston Zahra Jr retain their vice presidencies of the MHRA and the rest of association’s council remains unchanged. Former punk rocker to host Malta fashion show Valletta, 26/05/08 - The Malta International Fashion Show will be held in Gozo on 5 July, hosted by former punk rocker Jo Squillo. The Malta Tourism Authority has a three shows agreement with Squillo's TV Moda network; the first was held two years ago and another is slated for summer 2009. The show, which will be held in Victoria's St Augustine Square, will be promoted every hour throughout the month of June on Italy's TV Moda with an advert on Gozo. It will be broadcast live on 5 July along with a feature on Gozo and repeated a dozen times in July. Squillo (real name Giovanna Coletti) said two million people in Italy and in 45 other countries watch TV Moda, hence an event such as the Malta International Fashion Show - which will feature world class designers and "top models" - would introduce and promote the islands in multiple markets. Sliema, 26/05/08 - Joseph Attard has been reappointed general manager of the three star Imperial Hotel. Attard had previously worked for four years as GM of the Imperial before moving to the San Pawl Hotel in Bugibba. Chinese 'phenomenally' interested in Malta San Gwann, 23/05/08 - The Mediterranean's best-kept secret was the title of Malta's participation at last month's China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market (COTTM), held at the China World Trade Centre in Beijing. Maltese participants at COTTM included Air Malta (represented by their GSA, World Aviation Systems), Alpine Sterling Travel and Tourism, Dream Holidays International, the two Radisson SAS properties in Malta together with the interContinental Malta, the Grand Hotel Excelsior and The Palace. This was the first time local companies participated at the show, yet "the interest shown about Malta was phenomenal", said Alpine Sterling's Warren Zahra. All the participants agreed that the business potential for Malta is huge, and that the future is very promising. More than 1,500 professionals from China travelled to Beijing to visit COTTM, the only business-to-business event dedicated to Chinese outbound travel. China, along with India, is now regarded as one of the two biggest growth markets for consumer goods as well as international travel. Malta's participation served as a first step to tap into a market that the World Tourism Organisation predicts will be the world's largest outbound travel market, supplying more than 100 million visitors annually by 2020. Today, China is one of the largest sources of outbound tourism throughout Asia, and is the fastest growing tourism source for Europe and North America. Outbound Chinese tourism is growing at more than 10 per cent per year; by 2010 total outbound Chinese tourism will reach 50 million. The success of COTTM 2008 augurs well for future possibilities to increase travel between China and Malta. Air Malta assists the Malta Hospice Movement Luqa, 20/05/08 - Air Malta is helping the Malta Hospice Movement in raising awareness of the group's aims and objectives amongst the airline's customers. Air Malta cabin crew are distributing bookmarks of the Hospice Movement and are collecting donations to assist the association in its mission. The donations will help the hospice to continue offering its free care services. The Malta Hospice Movement is a voluntary, non-profit organisation that aims to provide the highest possible standards of palliative care for persons suffering from cancer or motor neurone disease and it also helps and supports their patients' families. Antoinette Shah, general manger of the Malta Hospice Movement explained that 'today, we are caring for more than 650 patients from all walks of life. We are delighted that Air Malta is assisting us in this campaign". Commenting on this initiative Brian Bartolo, KM's general manager marketing and product said: "With the support of our customers and our cabin crew we are increasing awareness amongst the general public of the association's virtuous work. Our assistance forms part of our 'committed to the community' initiative that aims to support and encourage local organisations and activities in various sectors be they cultural, social, philanthropic, humanitarian, environmental, heritage and sport, that help the Maltese community in some way or other”. LAL Malta to hold DELTA courses Sliema, 16/05/08 - LAL Malta will be holding DELTA courses early next year. The Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults (DELTA) is an internationally recognised TEFL qualification for experienced teachers. The course will be held in two blocks; the first from 5 to 30 January and the second will be held in over two weeks in April. The fee is €2,600 plus an examination fee of approximately €290. A DELTA qualification is handy for those "wanting to deepen their understanding of the principles and practice of teaching English to adults"; it is also a useful qualification for more senior employment in the TEFL industry. The development of the DELTA course and its syllabus involved a long and rigorous process that was scrutinised and approved by Cambridge ESOL, which accredited LAL Malta as a tuition centre. The course tutors are internationally accredited, experienced and also trained by Cambridge ESOL. LAL Malta, formerly IELS, is the only Cambridge ESOL DELTA centre on the islands. For more information on the courses contact Julia Pearson on 23284301 or email her at julia.pearson@lalgroup.com The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta and Gozo launches gastronomic calendar Vittoriosa, 16/05/08 - Over the last decade Malta has emerged as a gastronomic destination in the Mediterranean. It has an incredible selection of restaurants, offering various cuisines from all over the world including its home-grown Maltese cuisine, a growing band of dedicated food lovers and passionate producers and promoters of the food and wine industry. Malta is known for its fresh local produce, wines, olive oil and honey amongst others. Maltese cuisine, like the language, is a melange of different influences from different cultures that have at some stage of history occupied the islands. Exciting tastes of Malta, organised by The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta and Gozo, is a celebration of the traditional Maltese cuisine and also serves as an experimental platform for some of the islands' top chefs to create new and exciting recipes and develop innovative dishes based on traditional fare. Exciting tastes of Malta features nine food events specifically designed to make one's mouth water, entertain and involve gourmets over the coming months. This gastronomic calendar "kicks off" on 21 May at the Kitchen on Sliema's Tower Road and runs through until the end of the year. A different restaurant and food theme has been chosen for each month. For more details and bookings call 21802383 or 99434545 or online at www.restaurantsmalta.com Air Malta appointed official carrier for visual congress Luqa, 09/05/08 - Air Malta has been appointed as the official carrier of CEPIC - the Coordination of European Picture Agencies Press Stock Heritage. CEPIC will be holding its 14th annual congress in Malta between the 6 and 10 June. More than 1,000 delegates from 60 countries are expected to travel on Air Malta services to attend for the congress. CEPIC is a non-profit making European economic interest group representing press and picture agencies, stock photo libraries, major news agencies, art galleries and museums. CEPIC is registered in Paris and its offices are in Berlin. Its main aim is the harmonization of current European laws, in various fields including royalties, copyrights, new technologies, studies of coherent and compatible means to enable the largest cultural exchange through image. Most of the world's published images are networked by CEPIC members. MTA promotes Eco-Certification Valletta, 01/05/08 - The Malta Tourism Authority recently organised a seminar on environmental management in the tourism industry and the role of the Eco-Certification. A number of speakers contributed to the seminar, these included the parliamentary secretary for tourism Mario De Marco, John Magri from the MTA, Francis Farrugia, chairman of the Malta Standards Authority and Yvette Rossignaud from MEPA together with a number of local environmental consultants. Representatives from three eco-certified hotels also presented their experiences on specific aspects of the scheme. The aim of the seminar was twofold: to provide information and updates on the scheme to hotels who might be interested in becoming eco-certified, and to serve as a networking exercise among the participating hotels, thereby facilitating the sharing of experiences in environmental management. Currently only 10 out of 251 hotels on the islands are eco-certified. The MTA comments Currently there are 143 licensed hotels/aparthotels and tourist villages and 13 are eco-certified. That amounts to slightly over nine per cent of the total. This amount is considered on the high side when compared to international trends. However, we are still not satisfied with this amount and we organise these events to encourage hotels to go green and at the same time be recognised for their effort. The MTA promotes the Eco-Certification and also the EU Eco-label that is managed by the MSA. John Magri Editor’s comments Bigger retail outlets planned for MIA Luqa, 01/05/08 - As from December the Nuance Group - which operates the tobacco, spirits and scents outlets at Malta International Airport - will be increasing its presence with a new retail area of around 670 square metres. This expansion, says MIA, falls in line with the airport operator's extension plans to include additional security lanes and a larger and more modern executive lounge owing to the projected increase in traffic. This novel retail concept for the airport will provide passengers with an "enhanced travel and shopping experience, whereby a variety of products ranging from a now combined perfume, skin care and cosmetic section, to confectionery, tobacco, liquor and international wines as well as toy sections, will be available in virtually a shopping mall walk-through". The new outlet will be located in the Schengen departures area. With this new concept store the Nuance Group is guaranteeing a minimum of €25.5 million in revenue to MIA up to the end of 2014. Westin appoint new personnel manager St Julian's, 01/05/08 - The Westin Dragonara Resort has appointed Michelle Fenech Seguna as its human resources manager. She joined the Westin in September 2003. Radisson chef creates 'artworks' at gastronomy competition St Julian's, 10/04/08 - Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort sous chef Marco Cutajar participated at the Premio Gastronomico Europeo held in Bertinoro, Italy, recently. The competition was held at the Belvedere Restaurant, where Cutajar prepared a "wonderful Mediterranean menu". Each dish was "appraised for his attention to detail, to the contrast of colour and texture". The Belvedere's owners called Cutajar's entry "a real work of art". Commenting on this achievement Ernest Barry, general manager of the Bay Point says "we are all very proud of Marco's participation. It also continues to show that Maltese chefs can excel on the international stage and successfully compete with their foreign counterparts". Westin appoint new F&B director St Julian's, 10/04/08 - The Westin Dragonara Resort has appointed Jason Degiorgio as its food and beverage director. Degiorgio has 18 years experience in the F&B sector. He previously worked at other top end hotels on the islands. St Julian's, 10/04/08 - Malta's two Skål clubs have merged; this was the decision taken at the recent annual general meeting of the two clubs - the Skål Club of Valletta and the Skål Club of St Julian's. The merged club is now known as the Skål Club of Valletta. A new committee was also elected during the AGM, which was held at the InterContinental Malta. George Schembri was elected president, Anthony Coleiro was elected vice president, Terence Mirabelli was elected secretary and Taziana Grech was elected treasurer. Sandra La Rosa, Diana McNamara, Frans Camilleri, Joseph Borg Olivier, Vanni Corrieri and Donald Pace Bonello are committee members. At the conclusion of the annual general meeting, Edward Paris was inducted into the club by Schembri ; the first new member of the merged clubs. Malta to be awarded George Cross again Valletta, 07/04/08 - Malta is to receive the George Cross once again, at 18:00 on 15 April to be precise. The re-enactment will be performed at Palace Square in Valletta, where the original award ceremony was held 66 years ago. A delegation from Britain's Royal Society of St George will be attending the re-enactment, which will also involve the army and police. Malta is the only country in the world to be awarded a medal in recognition of the bravery of its people. The George Cross, the UK's highest award to civilians for acts of bravery, was awarded to Malta in 1942 and was presented to the people on 15 April. The citation by King George VI read: "To honour the brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history". ChooseMalta.com appoints business development director Pieta, 07/04/08 - Caroline Borg has been appointed director for business development of Inspire Ltd, operator of the ChooseMalta.com booking portal, "to lead the company into launching its international growth and travel network". Borg will be responsible for driving forward the company's growth strategy of launching Choose*******.com domain names, including the recently launched www.ChooseItaly.com. Key to the delivery of these travel sites will be the signing of agreements with various hotel chains and travel suppliers. Borg has worked in advertising, fashion and the hospitality industry, and - before joining Inspire - was just corporate sales manager at the Hilton Malta. "I am delighted to welcome Caroline to this key role. We are now a team of 12 and we have a long list of over 60 destination travel sites to launch", says Jonathan Shaw, Inspire managing director. ChooseMalta.com was launched in 2005 and in 2007 generated 1.4 million unique visits and 130 million hits. KM and MFCC pen partnership deal Ta' Qali, 02/04/08 - Air Malta and the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre (MFCC) have become strategic partners. The scope of the partnership is to "synergise the strengths of both organisations to promote Malta as a destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and events". The two companies have agreed on joint participation in overseas fairs, workshops, on hosting of familiarisation trips and in joint marketing and promotion campaigns. "This cooperation", says an Air Malta spokesman, "is also expected to generate substantial benefits for local tourism and service industry stakeholders". Commenting on the agreement KM chief executive officer Joe Cappello says: "Air Malta brings to this partnership a network of around 50 destinations, with offices in most major European cities which can help promote Malta's strategic assets. "We believe that through this partnership both Air Malta and MFCC can offer a better product to their customers and capitalise on their respective expertise in their markets. Over the coming months both organisations will be jointly working on various projects and initiatives in the meetings, incentives, conferences and events business, starting with the hosting of the Air Malta International Travel Exhibition (AMITEX)". The MFCC offers a venue with the capacity of taking up to 22,000 people and offering a vast range of services both inside and outside the venue, to make any experience as unique as possible. "This is a win-win situation were all our marketing expertise is being combined to make our efforts more fruitful", says Anita Attard, MFCC's chief executive officer. Our first joint initiative will be the organisation of AMITEX, which for the first time will be hosted at the MFCC". AMITEX will be held at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre from 24 to 27 April. MTA relaunches Merhba training programme Valletta, 25/03/08 - Following last year's success, were more than 954 tourism frontliners were trained in customer care and service culture, the MTA's industry HR development unit is now accepting applications for the Merhba Tourism Awareness and Customer Care Training Programme. Prospective applicants can apply by calling 22054000. The Merhba (welcome) training programme is aimed at improving customer service knowledge, ability and skills of frontline operational staff in tourism establishments and transport operators. Different to the previous year the MTA will also be hosting specific programmes for Gozo as well as individuals employed or seeking employment as Group leaders in the EFL sector. The training part of the programme will be conducted by MISCO. Training will start at the end March. It is anticipated that more than 650 frontliners will be trained through this programme. Merhba training programme modules were designed in line with the MTA's objective to encourage, develop and implement training programmes for the provision of a better service by tourism frontliners and support services. The modules also follow an important objective of the tourism policy for the Maltese islands, whereby a hospitable attitude can contribute towards the Maltese islands competitive advantage. The programme also ensures each module is in line with the MTA's three core values, namely hospitality, diversity and heritage. A three-hour professional guided tour will be held at the end of the programme. The tour will include a visit to heritage sites on the respective island. The aim is to provide an opportunity for participants to know more about the tourist offer in Malta and Gozo, knowledge which they can pass on to tourists during their work. The Merhba training programme is co-funded by the European Social Fund and all training programmes provided are free of charge. Air Malta supports cleanliness Luqa, 18/03/08 - Air Malta teamed up with the Dive Down to Clean Up project that encourages youth participation in protecting the Maltese heritage through sport. The project consists of a series of beach cleaning activities and enrolment in a diving course. Following the successful completion of the course the participants are required to participate in a number of dives to clean up the seabed. Around 40 youngsters participated in this project. "The activities combined non-formal education, protection of the environment, active citizenship though sports and cleaning up activities on beaches and at diving sites. All these values and activities form part of Air Malta's "corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme and help Maltese and tourists alike appreciate more our islands", said an airline spokesman. The project was the initiative of Lorna Buttigieg, a law graduate from the University of Malta. Commenting on this initiative she said, "environmental awareness is an issue not to be taken lightly, as the environment impacts upon our lives 24 hours a day, whether we are at work, school, home or in our social lives. The Dive Down to Clean Up project, in collaboration with Air Malta, EIE and Mazda, has encouraged youths to be active in sports with the aim of protecting our environment and increasing environmental awareness among the Maltese public." Air Malta's assistance forms part of its "committed to the community CSR initiative" that aims to support and encourage local organisations and activities in various sectors be they cultural, social, philanthropic, humanitarian, environmental, heritage and sport, that help the Maltese community. St Julian's, 16/03/08 - Julian Diacono has been appointed director of sales and marketing of the five star Hilton Malta, replacing Mario de Celis who is now at The Palace. After graduation, Diacono started work at the Holiday Inn in 1987 as a busboy in the hotel's a la carte restaurant. In '89 became sales representative and in 1991 appointed sales executive. On 1992 joined the Corinthia Mistra Village Clubhotel as sales manager and in '94 was appointed marketing executive based at the Corinthia head office. In April '96 joined the Westin Dragonara Resort as sales manager and was promoted to director of sales in 2000. He joined Malta International Airport in 2003 as manager marketing services and in summer 2007 returned to the hotel industry as director of sales at the Grand Hotel Excelsior. Corinthia Hotels name new GM for beach resort Floriana, 16/03/08 - Corinthia Hotels International (CHI) has appointed Danish national Morten Ebbesen as the new general manager of the Corinthia Beach Resort, comprising the five star Corinthia San Gorg Hotel and the adjoining Corinthia Marina Hotel. Ebbesen brings "a wealth of experience to his new post, having held general manager positions at the five star Pestana Grand Hotel Madeira, and the Millennium Mayfair and Sheraton Park Tower hotels in London. While at the Millennium Mayfair, he was instrumental in developing the celebrity chef restaurant Turners of Mayfair". Ebbesen's earlier appointments included those of resident manager at the Casino Park Hotel Funchal in Madeira, executive assistant manager at the Sheraton Hotel Abuja in Nigeria, front office manager at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel in Heathrow, London and assistant manager at the Sheraton Copenhagen. As marketing director of the Group Pestana, with responsibility for seven properties and multiple restaurant and conference operations, he also has considerable experience in the sales and marketing field. Welcoming Ebbesen's appointment, CHI chief executive officer Tony Potter said: "I am really looking forward to working with Morten again, and know that his extensive European experience in large scale five star hotels will be most beneficial to our business at the Corinthia Beach Resort and its two upscale hotels. We have a great team at these properties and I am confident that Morten will prove to be a successful and professional leader and be instrumental in establishing the highest of international standards at this great resort and conference centre in Malta". On his part, Ebbesen commented: "It is a very exciting time to join the Corinthia team with the new Wyndham joint venture and the expansion plans in place. I have operated extensively in similar environments to Malta and can confirm that the Corinthia Beach Resort's quality, standard, comfort and design allow for a unique opportunity to attract high quality leisure and conference business to the island. We have the resources in place to make this a truly memorable experience for all types of visitors, and I look forward to working with the team, the local tourist board, destination management companies and tour operators to increase the awareness of this beautiful island". Ebbesen joins CHI from his most recent position as the regional director for Hotel Dynamics in the Middle East, based in Dubai, where he managed and oversaw their operations in relation to food and beverage and loyalty programmes worldwide. He speaks Danish, English, Portuguese and German and is a marketing and business economics graduate from Copenhagen. His British wife, Alison, and three children will join him in Malta. Mosta, 14/03/08 - Yet another "Malta's only travel magazine" was launched today. Nomads, published by Qormi-based BMA, is distributed quarterly with The Times (of Malta). Pitched at consumers, and hopefully better written than the press release announcing it, the magazine plans to cover all aspect of travel. St Julian's, 14/03/08 - Jesmond Carachi has joined the Westin Dragonara Resort as service express manager. He has worked at two other Starwood-owned properties - the Sheraton in Doha, Qatar, as outlet manager, and as assistant food and beverage manger at Le Méridien Phoenicia in Malta. Mario Fenech also joined the Westin team as purchasing manager. Fenech has vast experience in purchasing departments with other five star hotels on the island. Conrad Cassar is the resort's new engineer. He previously worked at Le Méridien St Julians and also at the Corinthia San Gorg and Marina Resort Malta gains industry recognition and scoops conference awards Valletta, 28/02/08 - Malta celebrates winning two gold and two silver awards along with one runner-up position at this year's Eventia International Awards, held in London in early February. The Eventia International Awards, in association with Conference and Incentive Travel magazine, was attended by 850 top events industry professionals and honours outstanding business-to-business and business-to-consumer events including corporate events, product launches, company exhibitions, presentations, hospitality, celebratory events, meetings and conferences of all sizes and formats. Malta bagged not only gold but took home silver as well for best short-haul conference destination. Agency World Events won gold for organising the Abbott Vasculars 2007 sales conference. The conference was tied to the Casino Royale film launch, and built around the theme of Licence to Win. Delegates were registered as secret agents and undertook a five-day mission to Malta. Silver was awarded to the DRP Group for the 2006 Thomas Cook annual conference, which brought over 2000 delegates to the islands and was the first conference to be held at the new Malta Fairs and Convention Centre at Ta' Qali. The Thomas Cook conference also won gold for the best celebratory event with DRP Group recognised for its innovative use of a kabuki drop to reveal 900 photos of staff. These industry-recognised awards "prove that Malta has not only the infrastructure, but the innovation and creative services to develop international events". Eventia Executive director Izania Downie said: "These awards recognise the best and most innovative internationally-based events in our industry...The high quality of entries impressed me, and the results demonstrate the competitive and creative nature of our industry. Finalists and winners serve as testimony to the energy and enthusiasm that is currently driving face-to-face communication to the forefront of marketing strategy". Berger appointed sales director at Palazzo Parisio Naxxar, 26/02/08 - Christophe Berger is the new sales director for Palazzo Events, the company responsible for the management of Palazzo Parisio and its various catering services and outlets. Thirty-four year old Berger, French by nationality, has worked in the tourism sector in Malta since 1995 - in reservations, customer care and sales, for a tour operator, in the accommodation sector - and from 2003 to 2005 with a major DMC, where he specialised in the French and Benelux markets. Finally for the InterContinental Malta from 2006 to 2008 as sales manager, CIT segment. Reporting directly to managing director Christiane Ramsay Scicluna, his key priority will be in building functions and banqueting business for the palace from the local corporate sector as well as international conferences and incentive travel through DMCs. Ongoing responsibilities will include strengthening existing relationships with tour operators and cruise liner shorex operators in the leisure market, where Palazzo Parisio was particularly successful last year. Total day visitor admissions increased by 16 per cent in 2007 and revenue from tour groups by eight per cent. Cutajar Debono named GM of Pergola and Solana hotels Mellieha, 26/02/08 - After serving as group assistant general manager for the past year, Elaine Cutajar Debono has been promoted to general manager of the four star Pergola Club Hotel and Spa and of the Solana Hotel. Cutajar Debono embarked on her career in the hospitality industry in 1998 and has been working with the group since. Throughout the years, she occupied various supervisory and management positions including that of a rooms division manager. Unconventional Malta wins two awards Naxxar, 26/02/08 - Naxxar-based DMC Unconventional Malta started 2008 with a bang by winning an award of excellence as most proactive supplier and an award of merit as best DMC at BI's annual partners in success awards in London; while across the river, at Earls Court, the industry was gathered for Confex 2008. BI, the communication and motivation company remains the only agency in the UK to annually recognise those who have provided exemplary support to BI and made the greatest contribution to its achievements during the previous 12 months. Voted for by BI's associates working on events projects, this year's evening took place at The Underglobe, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, in mid-February. Unconventional Malta's managing director, Fiona Captur, said: "We are delighted with the recognition these awards give us in the industry, and are proud that Malta was showcased at its best, against stiff competition. Our ability to win these two awards is also a tribute to the ongoing support and professionalism of our suppliers in Malta...who all play a huge part in ensuring that every detail of a programme we develop and deliver is executed perfectly. We are totally committed to the success of our clients which inevitably underlines our own". Scala steps in at the InterContinental Malta St Julian's, 26/02/08 - The InterContinental Malta has appointed Italian national, Gianluca Scala to the team as director of food and beverage. Scala has moved from the Molino Stucky Hilton in Venice, where he was food and beverage manager, responsible for taking this department through from the pre-opening stage to opening. Previously he was group director of food and beverage with Royal Demeure. This was after a couple of years at Rocco Forte's Hotel Amigo in Brussels, where he organized the opening and launch of the hotel's Bocconi Restaurant. After studying business administration at university in Rome, Scala spent two years in military service as a lieutenant in the air force. He then worked with his family's business for some years, before taking off for London to start his career at various in upscale hotels in Europe. Scala will spearhead the food and beverage operations of the InterContinental Malta, which total seven restaurants and three bars. His responsibilities also include the hotel's conference and banqueting services and facilities. Tourists vote for Maltese stars St Julian's, 20/02/08 - During the annual Special Thanks and Recognition awards (STAR), sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority and held at the Corinthia Hotel San Gorg, 19 'stars' were awarded for excellence in service or product, while the top nominees also received recognition. During the event minister for tourism and culture Dr Francis Zammit Dimech said the STAR scheme is an important initiative through which the MTA is able to give public recognition to all those who work in the tourism industry. The service award is totally consumer-driven and this year 14 people were awarded - this was the result of almost 6,000 nominations from tourists for over 700 individuals. From among these, up to four finalists were short-listed for each of the 14 STAR categories. The 14 STAR performers each received a certificate, an 18 carat gold lapel-pin and €800 cash prize, whereas the remaining finalists received a certificate and a cash prize of €150. The STAR winners in the service categories for 2007 are: Boatmen category - Stuart Burke, Captain Morgan; Bus Drivers category - Paul Farrugia; Coach and mini bus drivers category - Michael Buttigieg, Zarb Coaches; General - Alfred Galea, Society of St Mary, Mqabba; Heritage sites, museums and places and of interest category - Ronnie Said, Classic Car Museum; Horse-drawn cab drivers category - David Debattista; Hotels category (food and beverage) - Rita Buttigieg, Cavalieri Hotel; Hotels category (front office and housekeeping) - John Bamber, 115 The Strand Aparthotel; Restaurants category - Antonio Pané, Sottovoce; Shop assistants/owners category - Sylvia Grech, Mgarr Tourist Services; Sports instructors category - Martin Hall, Paradise Bay Diving Centre; Taxis and chauffeur driven vehicles category - Michael Camilleri, Belmont Garage; Tourist guides category - Patricia Flores Martin; Travel representatives category - Fredric Pourrut, Voyages FRAM. Six were also past STAR winners - Paul Farrugia, Rita Buttigieg, Antonio Pané, Sylvia Grech, Martin Hall and Michael Camilleri. As an incentive for tourists to participate, there is a prize consisting of complimentary Air Malta flights and accommodation for two. The tourist for 2007 is a 14-year old boy from the UK and he, together with his parents, will be holidaying in Malta in June. Through the STAR scheme the MTA also awarded good quality tourism products. Five awards were given selected by a panel made up of people from various related entities. The prize for these categories was a certificate, a wooden plaque and €800. The runners-up received a certificate and a cash prize of €150. The STAR winners in the product categories are: Best festa stall - Iz-Zebbugi Hawn (Robert Caruana); best fixed kiosk - Tony's ice cream, Bugibba (Anthony Catania); Best tourist shop - The Limestone Heritage, Siggiewi (Manuel Baldacchino); Most attractive public garden (Managed by a local council) - Garden of Serenity, Santa Lucia; Most attractive square - Church Square, Safi. The STAR Scheme 2008 has already begun and tourists may nominate anyone working in the tourism or related industries. Nomination forms are available from various points including hotels, restaurants, the airport, taxis and coaches. Sliema, 15/02/08 - The CEO of the EC Group of English language schools, Andrew Mangion, has been elected the new president of the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations - Malta (FELTOM). Following FELTOM's AGM Mangion was elected to lead the federation along with John Dimech (LAL), Louis Grech (NSTS), Greg Burrell (Sprachcaffe), Paul Fenech (Magister Academy) and Maurice Rizzo (EC) who were also elected to serve on the executive board. As the result was announced, Mangion said he was "looking forward to working closely with the executive board and the entire FELTOM membership to continue to build on the successes achieved during the past year. "The key areas we will focus on in 2008 are the continued development of the FELTOM accreditation scheme, which will help maintain and improve standards; the expansion of FELTOM membership; the improvement of standards through working closely with the monitoring board; the consolidation and further development of the fast growing EFL industry (English as a Foreign Language) in conjunction with the MTA and other stakeholders; the expansion of the accommodation supply in Malta for English language students and the need to work closely with local authorities on areas such as visas and industry regulation. I look forward to achieving these goals through consensus with my board and support from our members". FELTOM was established in 1989 to "set, improve, and ensure the maintenance of standards in all aspects of English language stays in Malta". Seventeen of the 49 licensed English language schools in Malta are members of FELTOM, representing approximately 70 per cent of the total number of foreign students enrolling for English language courses at all licensed EFL schools in Malta. Isabelle Pace Warrington, appointed in October 2007 as executive officer of FELTOM, remains responsible for all administrative aspects, the management of a number of FELTOM's projects, the implementation of strategies, the establishment of sectorial strategies, membership matters and communication, organisation of activities and is the main contact person for operations and services. SMS Travel recognised as top cruise sales performer Savona, 27/01/08 - The 15th edition of Italy's Costa Crociera's Champions of the Seas consisted of a cruise that departed from Savona. Champions of the Seas is Costa Crociere's annual rendezvous dedicated to the company's top-selling travel agents. This year 1,800 agents from all over the world were brought together on the Costa Mediterranea. The awards ceremony of the top-selling travel agents was important part of Champions of the Seas. During this ceremony, agents who achieved the best results with Costa Crociere were recognised and rewarded for their sales efforts. The categories awarded included total sales, honeymoon sales, groups and Costaclick - the Costa website dedicated to agents. St Julian's-based SMS Travel and Tourism, meantime, won with the award for best selling new market. Paul Pizzuto, SMS Travel’s agency manager, received the award. De Celis returns to AX Holdings Sliema, 12/01/08 - Mario de Celis has left the Hilton Malta and has been appointed business development director at The Palace and the Victoria hotels, he was also named marketing consultant to the AX Holdings Group. De Celis started his career in the hospitality industry in 1974 at the Verdala Hotel in Rabat after completing his studies at MCAST. His first post was receptionist; he was eventually promoted to front office manager. He is no newcomer to the AX Holdings Group. He was the first general manager of the Victoria Hotel and, before that, was director of sales and marketing at the Suncrest Hotel, a post that he held for over seven years. Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz voted best Malta resort San Lawrenz, 09/01/08 - The Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz was voted Malta's leading spa resort at the annual World Travel Awards. Emel Atikkan, the five star hotel's general manager, was "delighted" to receive this award. "It shows that every single member plays an essential part in our success and gives a wonderful reassurance that we are getting it right", says Atikkan. The World Travel Awards are especially coveted as, uniquely, the votes are cast globally by fellow professionals. With trophies awarded in more than 1,000 categories, the awards are undoubtedly the world's most comprehensive awards celebration. The World Travel Awards have been called by the Wall Street Journal as the "travel industry's equivalent to the Oscars". Westin separates guests' rubbish St Julian's, 06/01/08 - The Westin Dragonara Resort is becoming more environmentally conscious. Since new year's day the hotel's housekeepers have begun to separate rubbish. Every bin in the 340 rooms and suites is being checked, and dumped glass is separated and placed in dedicated skips at the resort. This is just the start of waste separation and recycling at the Westin. Besides separating waste glass, paper, plastic and cardboard will follow. The campaign will be in full swing during the course of 2008. This is not the only project that the Westin has implemented towards the environment. In previous months the five star property introduced the green room concept, where guests can help the environment by not having their linen changed on a daily basis. Other departments are also collaborating towards the environment by separating bulky refuse such as cardboard and broken equipment that is then sold for recycling. Two restaurants voted joint winners for best restaurants in Malta Vittoriosa, 02/01/08 - Two restaurants have been rated top overall for Malta on the basis of food, service and ambience this year in the annual survey conducted by The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants. More than 800 diners took part in the survey, voting for their favourite restaurants on the islands. As respondents eat out at least twice a week on average, this is the equivalent of more than 80,000 individual dining experiences. The Blue Elephant at the Hilton Malta and Essence at the Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort and Spa scored highest in the overall category, Essence at the Radisson scored highest in the food category and the Hilton's Blue Elephant scored highest for service and ambience. The guide lists the 150 most highly rated of Malta's 1,000-plus dining venues based on food, service and ambience, the number of satisfied customers responding, and their comments. The 2008 edition sees 23 new restaurants entering the guide. The results of the restaurants survey can be found in the 2008 edition of The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta and Gozo now available in shops and online at www.restaurantsmalta.com.
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