May 2007
Blue flag status for 'bimbo beach' • 10 hotels awarded eco certification • Fly me to the pole • Cologne to host Cultour 2008 • Corinthia Palace organises Beyond the Moon fund raiser • Hilton's Quarterdeck launches wine promotional • MTA annual conference slated for end May • Alpine Sterling wins Carlson Wagonlit award • Schembri elected Skål president • Drake appointed MTA's PR boss • Oberascher re-elected ETC president, Georgia joins commission

Blue flag status for 'bimbo beach'

St George's Bay, 28/05/07 -  "The success of the beach replenishment project at St George's Bay means that the Malta Tourism Authority and my ministry are providing a quality tourism product; a product which ensures that environmental and quality standards are maintained whilst encouraging recreation".

This was said recently by Minister for Tourism and Culture Francis Zammit Dimech when he launched the blue flag status pilot project for St George's Bay.

The blue flag programme is a voluntary certification scheme for beaches and marinas that works to bring together the tourism and environmental sectors. St George's Bay is the first beach in Malta to be awarded the blue flag, "and we are very proud to confirm that the beach is managed in accordance with the blue flag requirements that include stringent criteria in the areas of water quality, cleanliness, safety and management, provision of information and environmental education".

The blue flag programme is an international eco-label recognised by both tourists and tour operators.  It is administered by the Foundation for Environmental Education represented in Malta by Nature Trust.

10 hotels awarded eco certification

Valletta, 28/05/07 - The Malta Tourism Authority's eco-certification scheme has succeeded in encouraging hotels to deliver a better product to meet the demand of the ever more environmentally aware tourists. To participate, hotels must comply with a number of criteria aimed at improving the property's environmental performance and increasing environmental awareness amongst employees.

The MTA presented an eco-certificate to the successful participants in the scheme's second cycle since its launch in 2002. Ten hotels - the Hilton Malta, Le Meridien Phoenicia, Corinthia San Gorg Hotel, Corinthia Marina Hotel, Dolmen Resort Hotel, Selmun Palace Hotel, Riviera Resort & Spa, Santana Hotel, Sunflower Hotel and the Victoria Hotel - successfully comply with almost 130 criteria designed to ensure the improved environmental performance of each property.

The eco-certification award ceremony was hosted at the Hilton Malta on 17 May.

Fly me to the pole

Düsseldorf, 28/05/07 - The first sightseeing flight to the North Pole returned safely to Düsseldorf airport, Germany. This premier flight, operated last week by an LTU Airbus A330-200, flew from Düsseldorf across Denmark, central Norway and the Norwegian coast to the Spitsbergen archipelago.

Besides views through the passenger windows, seven cameras were installed in the cockpit and offered high-quality live transmissions of pictures into the cabin.

After passing Spitsbergen, the flight continued directly towards the North Pole, 90 degrees north. While approaching the pole, passengers toasted the occasion with a glass of champagne. At the pole, flight captain Josef Moser performed a small flight around the world, passing all degrees of longitude and the international date line within minutes. What followed was just as spectacular: two hours of clear skies and beautiful views along Greenland's east coast. From southern Greenland, the flight took passengers via Iceland directly to Düsseldorf where the flight landed after just under 13 hours - in time for sunset.

Two hundred and eighty five passengers from 13 different nationalities were aboard this flight. Because of the very good feedback by passengers, Deutsche Polarflug has launched a second flight later this year. The flight - LT9999 - will depart from Düsseldorf on 1 September and be operated by LTU. Flights can be booked and more information be obtained from www.polarflug.de.

Cologne to host Cultour 2008

Mosta, 28/05/07 - Cultour is the only travel trade show in the world focusing on cultural travel. It will be held in Germany from 5 to 8 June 2008. The first edition was held earlier this year in Santiago, Spain, but as of next year it will be held in Cologne.

Strict entry policies will be applied on the two professional days - 5 and 6 June. On those days, the show will only be accessible to trade professionals. On 7 and 8 June, meantime, the exhibition will be open to the general public and be known as Cultourfest. On these days visitors will be able to enjoy the music, dances and folklore of exhibiting countries and regions.

To obtain more information and reserve exhibition space, contact GSAR Marketing at gsar@gsamark.com or log on to www.cultourfair.com.

Corinthia Palace organises Beyond the Moon fund raiser

Attard, 17/05/07 - The Sports and Welfare Committee of the Corinthia Palace Hotel will be organising a fund raising activity on Sunday, 27 May in aid of Beyond the Moon, an international non-profit charity that aids seriously ill children by offering them, and their immediate family, an all paid holiday in a child friendly resort. This enables the family to spend valuable quality time with their loved ones, in what could well be their last real vacation together. (See Corinthia partners with major charity.)

The event, a high tea and tombola, will start at 15:00 in the Chameleon Hall of the hotel, finishing at 18:00. There will also be stalls selling plants and books.

The Corinthia Palace management and staff hope to collect enough money from this and similar events to be able to send a Maltese child suffering from a life-threatening disease, on a completely cost-free and carefree holiday far away from hospitals and daily treatments.

Beyond the Moon, which is based in Belgium, was adopted by Corinthia Hotels International as its community partner.

More details on the event may be obtained by calling the Corinthia Palace Hotel on 21440301.

Hilton's Quarterdeck launches wine promotional

St Julian's, 16/05/07 - The Quarterdeck bar at the Hilton Malta has a new entrance and a wider terrace. More importantly, perhaps, is its just launched sommelier's recommendation list.

The list features 32 specially selected wines, local and imported, retailing at up to 50 per cent off their normal prices. For instance, a 2004 Grand Vin de Hauteville by Delicata sells at Lm6.25 instead of Lm10.40 whilst a 1997 Chateau Canon Fronsac, normally priced at Lm22.50 is now tagged at Lm11.50.

The list of wines on offer will change every six months.

Other changes at this stylish bar, with its nautical theme and dark leather armchairs, is a new entrance via the terrace - thus avoiding having to come through the hotel lobby - and a widened, al fresco, terrace where guests can enjoy light snacks and views of the marina with the swanky yachts berthed there.

MTA annual conference slated for end May

Mosta, 14/05/07 - The Malta Tourism Authority's annual conference will be held on 29 May at the Dolmen Resort's Oracle Conference Centre in Qawra. This year's theme is tourism towards tomorrow.

The authority did not hold a conference in 2006, the last was held on 7 December 2005.

Alpine Sterling wins Carlson Wagonlit award

San Gwann, 14/05/07 - Alpine Sterling Travel and Tourism, Malta representative of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, won an award for Best Product Launch Event organised in 2006.

The award was presented to Alpine Sterling's Warren Zahra at a meeting held in Berlin recently that brought together more than 50 Carlson Wagonlit Travel event managers from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Canada and South America.

Following the Berlin parley, Carlson Wagonlit decided to hold its next events meeting for events managers worldwide in Malta in October.

Schembri elected Skål president

St Julian's, 14/05/07 - During the recently held annual general meeting of Skål International - Malta, George Schembri was elected president of the national committee as well as president of the Valletta Skål Club.

Outgoing national president Frans Camilleri was elected vice president of the Valletta club.

Meantime, other members elected to serve on the national committee for 2007-08 are Sandra La Rosa, vice president; Taziana Grech, treasurer; Terence Mirabelli, secretary, and Joe Borg Olivier as international councillor.

Members of the 2007-08 committee of the Valetta club are Anthony Chircop, treasurer; Terence Mirabelli, secretary, and Joe Borg Olivier as member.

The St Julian's club elected Anthony Coleiro as vice president; Taziana Grech, treasurer; Diana McNamara, secretary, and Giovanni Corrieri as member.

Drake appointed MTA's PR boss

Valletta, 14/05/07 - Kevin Drake has been appointed director of communication and PR at the Malta Tourism Authority.

The job involves overall responsibility for the PR and communications office, the hospitality department, the tourist information offices as well as the customer care.

Drake has more than 20 years experience in the media, as well as in the communications and PR sector. He spent a number of years as a journalist, broadcaster and media station manager, ran his own communications and PR firm, as well as being senior partner in a UK-based consultancy. He joined the MTA in January 2006.

Oberascher re-elected ETC president, Georgia joins commission

Reykjavik, 14/05/07 - At its 72nd general meeting held the European Travel Commission (ETC) re-elected its president, Arthur Oberascher, for a further three-year term in office.

The ETC convened in Reykjavik for the second time in its 59-year history. At the meeting, the ETC also welcomed Georgia into its ranks, swelling membership to 38 countries. The country follows Serbia, Montenegro and San Marino, which all joined ETC at its October 2006 general meeting in Malta.

The ETC will hold its third executive summit and symposium on the subject of operational excellence on 3 October in Sofia, Bulgaria.