Air Malta lends a hand to Inspire

Luqa, 28/06/10 - Air Malta will be helping Inspire in its campaign to collect money to help fund its programmes that assist people with special needs.

During June, July and September, Air Malta cabin crew will be distributing envelopes to passengers on board selected flights for contributions to Inspire. These donations will support the organisation continue offering support to individuals, their families and the community by increasing independence and inclusion.

Joshua Farrugia, fundraising manager of Inspire explained: “We are pleased that Air Malta is offering its support once again this year. As an organisation, we pride ourselves in providing a high quality service with an efficient management system and low administrative costs; however without the support and commitment from the public and companies such as Air Malta, we would not survive. As an organisation we depend on voluntary giving”.

Commenting on this initiative, Air Malta chief executive Joe Cappello said: “Air Malta is proud to be able to provide tangible assistance to organisations that work hard to add value to our society. We thank our passengers and cabin crew for their support which encourage us to assist these organisations reach their goals”.

Inspire provides services to more than 1000 babies, children and adults with different needs and potential and help them live a high quality life, experience growth and a sense of achievement, and integrate into society, whatever their disability.

Air Malta is the only airline in Malta that assists NGOs with continued support. It has always been on the forefront 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 another.

Malta makes an impact in Kiev

Kiev, 25/06/10 - A Malta promotional evening was organised in Kiev by the Malta Tourism Authority, Ukrainian tour operator Sputnik Kiev and the Belvedere restaurant which specialises at European and fusion cuisine.

The aim of the evening was to create more awareness of Malta as a tourist destination and boost sales this summer. As of June Air Malta is operating a weekly schedule to Kiev.

For the promotional evening more than 100 people were invited, including travel agents, journalists and VIP clients.

Guests, who were met by Anthony Caruana, the MTA’s representative in Moscow, were treated to a dinner prepared by Maltese chef Christopher Gauci.

Many of the products for the evening were brought from Malta for the occasion. All guests were provided with Malta and Gozo brochures and various kinds of information packs, and also participated in a lottery with prizes including Air Malta tickets from Kiev, bottles of Maltese wine and other souvenirs.

Traditional Maltese folk music and MTA video clips accompanied the evening.

During the evening Sergei Tigipko, the Ukrainian deputy premier, who also happened to be at the Belvedere Restaurant, was treated to the Maltese cuisine.

Journalist elected Skål Malta president

St Julian’s, 23/06/10 – At the 2010 annual general meeting of Skål International – Malta Donald Pace Bonello, Taziana Grech, Sandra La Rosa, Diana McNamara, Frans Camilleri, Anthony Coleiro and Joseph Borg Olivier were re-elected to the committee. Travel industry journalist Terence Mirabelli was also elected to the committee.

At its first committee meeting, held at the InterContinental Malta earlier this month, Mirabelli was elected president, MacNamara was voted vice president, Grech treasurer, Pace Bonello secretary and La Rosa was appointed functions coordinator. Borg Olivier, meanwhile, was elected club auditor.

Air Malta ranks among the best carriers from the UK

Luqa, 23/06/10 - Air Malta ranks third amongst the best short-haul airlines flying out of the UK. This result has been confirmed in a passenger satisfaction survey conducted by Which? Holiday, a quarterly publication designed to provide practical travel advice and inspirational ideas.

In an online survey carried out in March, Which? members were asked to rate airlines they had recently travelled with, using a number of criteria, including cleanliness, cabin staff, baggage allowance and value-for-money.

Air Malta obtained a total of 68 per cent scoring highly in categories of baggage allowance, cabin staff and seating arrangements. This score placed Air Malta third-favourite with passengers. The airline was followed by KLM (65 per cent) and Lufthansa (64 per cent). Swiss Airlines received an overall satisfaction rate of 72 per cent, while Aer Lingus placed second with 71 per cent.

The findings were based on a poll of over 5,700 passengers.

“Our rigorous research shows that while the cost of flights is important to customers, its things like friendly cabin staff and reasonable luggage allowances that leave a lasting impression”, said Rochelle Turner, head of research at Which? Holiday. She also added that flying with a good-quality airline could make a difference to a holiday.

Commenting on the results of this survey Joe Cappello, KM’s chief executive said: “Air Malta has moved seven places; from tenth to third in just one year, leaving much bigger players behind.

“This result is evidence that we are truly a customer focused airline and passengers are appreciating our value focused strategy. This achievement would not have been possible were it not for the commitment, dedication and hard work of our employees”.

He added that this survey also confirms Air Malta’s pivotal role in bringing quality tourism to Malta, contributing positively to the growth and sustainability of the nation.

Zammit Xuereb appointed ITS chair

St Julian’s, 23/06/10 – Claire Zammit Xuereb has been appointed chairman of the board of governors of the Institute of Tourism Studies.

Other members of the board are Joe Tanti, Edwin Borg, Walter Cassar, Mary Anne Cauchi, Nadia Theuma, Marie Louise Mangion and Joseph Micallef. Godwin Camilleri is the board’s secretary.

Corinthia St Petersburg wins American award

St Petersburg, 22/06/10 - The newly extended and refurbished five star Corinthia Hotel St Petersburg has been selected by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) to receive the Five Star Diamond Award as one of the finest hotels in its category and classification in Russia.

The award was presented to the hotel by Joseph Cinque, president and CEO of the academy in the presence of St Petersburg’s head of tourism Marianna Ordzhonikidze.

MIA wins ACI Europe’s best airport award 2010

Luqa, 18/06/10 - Malta International Airport is the winner of the ACI Europe Best Airport Award 2010 in the up to five million passengers category. Angela Gittens, director general of ACI World, presented the award to chief executive Julian Jaeger.

Jaeger expressed satisfaction and gratitude for the efforts of all those who contributed towards this success.

The sixth annual ACI Europe Best Airport Awards were announced last night in Milan during the gala dinner of the 20th ACI Europe annual congress. It was the conclusion to a day of intensive exchanges and debates between more than 400 top industry representatives, national governments and EU officials, under the theme of this year’s event: A 20 year vision of the airports of 2030.

This year’s judging panel was drawn from a group of independent experts including the European Commission, Eurocontrol and the European Disability Forum.

ACI Europe counts more than 400 airports in 46 countries among its membership and this year’s competition saw a high level of entries in each of the four categories.

The ACI Europe Best Airport Awards cover four categories of airport and aim to recognise achievement in core activities such as customer service, retail, security and environmental awareness.

The winner of the five to 10 million passengers category was Lyon Airport, this year’s award in the 10 to 25 million passengers category went to Manchester Airport, whilst the over 25 million passengers category went to Barcelona Airport.

Jaeger reconfirmed as MIA CEO

Luqa 17/06/10 - The Board of Directors of Malta International Airport plc has reconfirmed Julian Jaeger (far left) as chief executive officer for another three-year term. The contract was signed today.

Commenting about the decision, MIA chairman Karin Zipperer (left) said that the past 18 months were characterised by huge challenges in the international travel industry. She added that the board is confident that Jaeger’s reconfirmation as CEO is a sign of continuity in the right direction. Zipperer concluded that MIA’s performance during the international crisis was satisfactory and highlights the commitment shown by Jaeger and his management team and staff to overcome these turbulent times.

When referring to his reconfirmation as CEO, Jaeger said that he is very proud of MIA’s accomplishments during his tenure, and looks forward to continue the hard work together with all the staff at MIA, so that Malta International Airport continues to grow and become a leading European airport in its class.

ETC elects Hedorfer as new president as Franklin retires

Brussels, 11/06/10 - Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) was unanimously elected president of the European Travel Commission at the organisation’s 78th general meeting here yesterday.

Hedorfer succeeds Arthur Oberascher of Austria for a three-year term. Also elected at the meeting as the organisation’s vice presidents were Peter De Wilde (Belgian tourist office), Ivan Rona (Hungarian tourist office) and Dimitrij Piciga (Slovenian tourist office).

Thanking Oberascher for his commitment and vision during two terms as President, Hedorfer singled out his initiatives to bring the organisation into the internet age, an emphasis on market intelligence, and the enlargement of ETC’s membership in eastern and southeastern Europe.

Outlining the goals of her presidency, Petra Hedorfer stated “ETC’s role today and in the future will be to support member national tourist offices in their intercontinental marketing activities based on market analysis with the aim of positioning Europe as a travel destination strongly against competing destinations”.

The UN World Tourism Organisation’s long-term forecast predicts that, although Europe will retain the lion’s share of world arrivals, this share will decline by 2020 to 46 per cent from 60 per cent in 1995. Outbound tourism from North and South America, which today accounts for 56 per cent of European arrivals, will decrease to 48 per cent in 2020. Travel from Asia is expected to develop dynamically, with Asian arrivals in Europe expanding robustly from 39 to 47 per cent.

“As Europe’s share of the global tourism market contracts, it is vital for the ETC to re-evaluate its activities taking advantage of new developments in the distribution and marketing of tourism products”, explains Petra Hedorfer. “We will adjust our focus to give greater emphasis to emerging markets in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies. ETC will also continue to be a leader in market intelligence, the basis upon which all our activities must be founded”.

As CEO of the German National Tourist Board, Hedorfer has been responsible for the promotion of Germany as a travel destination at home and abroad since November 2003. She joined the organisation in 1998 as global head of marketing, and was appointed to the board as CEO for marketing in 2000.

Rob Franklin OBE, executive director of the European Travel Commission, has announced his departure from the organisation effective 30 June.

Following six years at the helm of the organisation, his term of office is coming to an end, and Franklin has decided to seek new pastures and hand over to a successor.

“I have had a wonderful time working at the European Travel Commission, but the time has come to move on and seek new challenges”, said Franklin.

KM hosts Da Vinci training programme students

Luqa, 09/06/10 - Twenty students from Craven College in Yorkshire, UK, specialising in aviation, have successfully completed a two-week job shadowing experience in Malta. The course - funded by the EU Leonardo Da Vinci programme - was in a partnership with Air Malta and with the collaboration of Malta International Airport. The students had hands-on experience at various jobs with the airline and at the airport, such as check-in, baggage services, airport operations and customer care.

Speaking during the presentation of certificates of participation Joe Cappello, chief executive of Air Malta said: “Aviation is one of the most important sectors for an island nation like Malta. Today the islands depend heavily on air links that are the backbone of the local tourism and manufacturing industries”.

Cappello added that aviation offers an interesting array of job opportunities. He thanked the school for choosing Malta and Air Malta and thanked MIA for their support given to host the students.

Tina Gale, group coordinator, from the Aviation Academy at Craven College thanked Air Malta for the excellent organisation and Craven College is looking forward for more projects and cooperation with Air Malta. She said that it was the first time for many of the students to experience travelling on a full service airline like Air Malta.

Speaking on behalf of the students Edan Cooper thanked Air Malta and MIA for the “wonderful experience” and opportunity offered. He said that they have learned a lot from this experience, which will help them when they will eventually work in the aviation industry in the near future.

Malta facilitates visa applications for Turkish businessmen

Istanbul, 08/06/10 - An agreement between the consulate general of Malta in Istanbul and the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce concerning visa applications for business purposes was signed today the chamber’s headquarters between consul general Simon Pullicino and Murat Yalcintas, chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce.

The agreement will enable businessmen, who have been issued with a reference letter by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, and who have already established or wish to establish business interests in Malta, to benefit from a multiple entry Schengen visa, with a validity period of up to five years.

This is the third agreement of its kind signed by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. In March 2008 it signed a similar agreement with the consulate of France and in February with the consulate of Italy.

Earlier this year the Maltese consulate general opened two visa application centres, one in Istanbul and another in Ankara. Besides facilitating visa application procedures for businessmen, the consulate has also committed itself to process visa applications quickly.

Egypt Air looking for more Malta charters

St Julian’s, 03/06/10 – Egypt’s tourism authority has embarked on a mission to rebrand its country’s tourism product. The new image that Egypt is portraying was explained at an event held for the travel trade at the Westin Dragonara Resort today.

The event was organised by the director of the Egyptian Tourism Authority based in Rome, who also is responsible for Malta, Muhammad Abdel Gabbar, in collaboration with Abdel Mawgoud El-Habashy, Egypt’s ambassador in Malta.

Gabbar highlighted the diversity of the product Egypt has to offer. Many people are fixed with one image or view of Egypt, he said, but there is much more to what first meets the eye. He is looking towards directing more investment in marketing, and opening up further the Egyptian tourism product on the local market.

Gabbar was accompanied Wael Kadry, the newly appointed director of Egypt Air for Italy and Malta. Kadry said he is looking forward to the extension of more operations to Malta, especially as a base for charter flight operations.

Air Malta launches value added scheme

Luqa, 01/06/10 - Air Malta has launched Holiday More! a new product which offers vouchers to some of the island’s popular tourist locations and activities including visits to historic sites, sightseeing buses and a ferry trip to Gozo.

Air Malta has teamed up with Gozo Channel, the Malta Experience and Maltasightseeing tours to create Holiday More! value pack for visitors travelling to Malta. This pack also includes a free day trip return flight to Reggio Calabria on Air Malta.

To benefit from Holiday More! clients are to book their flights to Malta through Air Malta’s portal at www.airmalta.com and present their boarding card at KM’s sales office at Malta International Airport on arrival, were they will be given with the Holiday More! vouchers.

Commenting on this new scheme, Brian Bartolo, Air Malta’s general manager marketing and product said: “With the Holiday More! offer, Air Malta is offering added value to its clients travelling to Malta. We are giving our passengers the opportunity to see the best of Malta for free.

“Any local companies who are interested to join us in this venture are most welcome”, adds Bartolo.

All vouchers are free to the client and the offer is valid until the end of July 2010. Vouchers are to be presented at Holiday More! partners.

Clients may redeem their free, day trip return flight to Reggio Calabria by calling the call centre on 21662211 and quoting their voucher number. This offer is also valid up to the end of July, and does not include taxes and service charges. Go to www.airmalta.com/holidaymore for more information.

Corinthia appoint new GM for St Petersburg hotel

Floriana, 01/06/10 - Ken Dittrich has been appointed general manager of the newly extended and refurbished five star Corinthia Hotel St Petersburg in Russia.

Dittrich joins Corinthia from Sol Melia, where his most recent appointment was that of area vice-president and managing director at the Gran Melia Caracas in Venezuela.

Wear Ryanair colours for free tickets

Mosta, 12/05/10 - Ryanair, has started early celebrations in Malta ahead of the official launch of its 41st base on 18 May, when six new routes will take to the skies.

Ryanair’s Luis Fernández-Mellado, sales and marketing manager for Malta, said: “Ryanair has started the countdown for the launch of its new base in Malta. We are inviting people to come to the Bay Street shopping mall on Saturday 15 May at 22:00 and to the Valletta Waterfront on Sunday at 16:00 and the first 25 people that arrive wearing the Ryanair colours (yellow and blue) will receive a fantastic pair of return flights to one of Ryanair’s new destinations from Malta”.

Malta hotels fare well in Expedia poll

Mosta, 04/05/10 - Expedia.com, today unveiled its 2010 Insiders' Select results, an annual ranking of the world's best hotels for quality and value as determined mostly by traveller reviews. Hotels that routinely exceed customer expectations – in their customer service, amenities, competitive pricing and more – see that emphasis reflected in their rankings.

The Insiders' Select programme debuted in 2007 and ranks the top hotels from among the more than 123,000 properties offered on Expedia booking sites internationally.

And Malta has fared well this year, with six properties ranked. Top Maltese property with a score of 99.5 is the Radisson Blu Golden Sands Resort & Spa and ranked 113th, followed by the Grand Hotel Excelsior with 98.1 and 420th in the rankings.

The Westin Dragonara Resort & Spa takes bronze with 95.2 and the 1,056th spot followed by the Hotel Phoenicia in 1,118 position with 94.9 points. The Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa is in fifth position with 94.7 and ranked 1,166th whilst the Fortina Spa Resort scored 93.9 and is ranked 1,327th.

Corinthia and Egyptair in joint Sinai promotion

St Julian’s, 23/04/10 - At a joint workshop held earlier this week at the Corinthia Hotel St George’s Bay, CHI Hotels & Resorts and Egyptair announced a joint initiative to launch and establish Sharm al-Shaikh as a new and holiday destination for the Maltese public.

Egyptair’s Malta manager Tony Vella gave details of the revamped services available to their passengers. Moreover, travellers can now fly directly to Cairo on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, affording them the possibility of two, three, five or seven night stays. This makes a combined Cairo and Sharm al-Shaikh holiday much more accessible to those who do not wish to spend their entire stay in either of the two locations. Flight timings are convenient, with passengers leaving in early the afternoon and arriving in Sinai on the same day through a fast Cairo connection from the recently opened Terminal 3.

Egyptair and CHI are jointly offering a value for money holiday package at the CHI operated Tiran Island Hotel Sharm al-Shaikh (left), which is Egypt’s top tourist destination. The destination offers all year round sunshine, exceptional nightlife, as well as unique underwater experiences for divers and snorkelers.

CHI regional director of sales Nicky Borg detailed the many services and amenities available at the four star, 335-room Tiran Island Hotel. The hotel is the first of three that will eventually also include a five star Corinthia Hotel to form the Corinthia Beach Resort Sharm al-Shaikh, with close to 2,000 beds. Facilities at the hotel include a lagoon swimming pool with sunken bar, extensive leisure facilities for all the family, a sandy beach and dive centre, various restaurants and bars. Bedrooms are spacious and well furnished, with balcony and views of the pool, the sea or the desert mountains. An animation programme is available throughout the season. The hotel is just 10 minutes away from the airport and 15 minutes away from popular Nama Bay.

Aaron Stivala, commercial director of Egyptair’s Malta agents, explained how local travel agents and passengers can benefit from ”extremely competitive fares offered by the airline for its various destinations that besides Egypt, include Africa, the Far East and Australia”.

AMITEX slated for end of April

Luqa, 09/04/10 - Preparations for the 17th edition of the Air Malta International Travel Exhibition (AMITEX) are in full swing.

This year’s consumer show will be held at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre at Ta’ Qali from 22 to 25 April.

MIA rebrands

Luqa, 01/04/10 - Malta International Airport has rebranded “to reflect the redefined vision of the company”.

Malta International Airport "is perceived as a professional organisation which has advanced in time, confident of its management strategies and well in control of situations that affect the performance of its core business. Since its privatisation in 2002, MIA plc, as a listed company, has moved ahead constantly improving its results with a competent, practical and efficient management style. These attributes are reflected in the dynamic, smart-looking and modern icon which characterises the new logo and its relationship with the sub-brands, namely Sky Parks Development Ltd, Malta Airport Parking, Malta Airport Shopping, Malta Airport Security, Malta Airport Met Office and the La Valette Club.

“MIA’s new corporate image calls to mind, not only the airport’s core product represented in the semblance of movement in flight of its icon, but moreover the warm and cordial colours which reflect Maltese hospitality, a pleasant climate and the comfort of being there”.

Top award for Corinthia manager

Floriana, 01/04/10 - Roderick Micallef, 33, acting general manager and director of finance at the five star Corinthia Hotel Lisbon in Portugal, was proclaimed winner of the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) Young Leader Award 2010.

The award, co-sponsored by IHIF and the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC), was presented to Micallef by Jonathan Worsley, chairman Bench Events, co-organisers of the Forum, and ISCH chairman Angelos Loizou, during a special plenary session of the IHIF in Berlin.

Granny’s Inn recognised as best Malta hostel - again

Dublin, 16/03/10 - Hostel owners and managers from around the world flocked to Dublin recently to attend the eighth annual Hoscar (HOStelworld Customer Annual Ratings) awards ceremony that recognises the best hostels in the world, voted for by one million Hostelworld.com customers in 2009.

The Portuguese city of Lisbon proved yet again to be the jewel in the crown for budget conscious travellers across the world when it claimed an astonishing five of the top 10 spots. For the second year running Lisbon's Travellers House Hostel received the top honour when it was announced as the best hostel in the world. Also recognised were hostels from Florence, Budapest, Krakow, Riga, Cardiff and Malta.

For the second consecutive year, Granny’s Inn Hostel in Sliema was awarded a Hoscar for being the best hostel in Malta.

The family-run Granny's Inn, which opened in 2008, accommodates up to 20 people in rooms sleeping from one to six. The hostel only accepts guests who are 20 years old or older.

Rooms come equipped with bunk beds, have ceiling fans and heating, wash basins, a refrigerator and tea and coffee making facilities.

Public amenities in this city-centre hostel include free WiFi, two computers with online access, TV room, two terraces, a fully stocked vending machine, laundry and luggage storage.

More than 23,000 properties from across the globe featured on Hostelworld.com were eligible for the awards. The winning hostels were voted for by customers who booked their accommodation online and rated and reviewed the hostels after their stay in 2009 based on six criteria - character, security, location, staff, fun and cleanliness.

Hostelworld.com's vice president of accommodation relations Carmel Dunne commented: "The Hoscar awards are extremely important to both hostels around the world and their customers. They are based on user ratings and reviews, a key reason why customers book with us. No other hostel booking site offers the depth and breadth of hostels available to book on www.hostelworld.com or the volume of reviews, made directly by Hostelworld.com customers following their stay".

The Hoscars took place in conjunction with Hostelworld.com's sixth annual hostel conference and was attended by over 400 hostel owners, managers and industry professionals from around the world. This year's conference took a look at the future of travel and what changes are driving the travel industry, in particular social media and mobile marketing. Industry leaders looked at how the four billion mobile handsets in use across the world are now an integral tool for the travel marketplace and the effect this will have on the budget travel sector.

Malta STARs recognised

Floriana, 24/02/10 - During the fifth edition of the Malta Tourism Authority’s (MTA) STAR awards, held today at the Hotel Phoenicia, 14 employees were awarded for excellence in service and hospitality, while a further two awards were given for the best visitor attraction and the hotel worker of the year.

The awards in the STAR Service categories are totally consumer-driven and in 2009 more than 11,000 nominations were received, an increase of almost 50 per cent over the previous year. Hundreds of individuals working in various sectors related to tourism were nominated. From these, the top three in each of the 14 categories qualified as finalists. The 14 winners each received a certificate, an 18ct gold lapel-pin and €800 cash prize, whereas the remaining finalists received a certificate and a cash prize of €150.

The winners of the STAR service awards for 2009 are: Charles Abela – head waiter at the Victoria Hotel; Francis Apap – taxi driver; Matthew Balzan – historical re-enactor at the saluting battery; Edward Caruana – tourist guide; Darren Cutajar – car park attendant at Golden Bay; David Debattista – horse-drawn cab driver; Neal Debono – restaurant manager at Ix-Xlukkajr; Paul Farrugia – bus driver; Anthony Fenech – coach driver; Martin Hall – diving instructor at Paradise Diving; Chandru Mohnani – shop owner at Novelty Textiles; Frederic Pourrut – travel representative of Voyage Fram; Sonia Theuma – receptionist at the Maria Giovanna Hostel and Andrew Whibley – boatman at A & S Water Taxis.

As an incentive for tourists to participate, there is a prize of two complimentary return flights on Air Malta and one-week accommodation for two on bed and breakfast basis. The lucky tourist for 2009 was from Belgium and visited Malta last September.

Through the STAR scheme the MTA also awards good quality tourism products. In the past two years the scheme has awarded the best visitor attraction. The award for 2009 went to the Limestone Heritage, with the prize being a certificate, a star-shaped glass trophy and €800 cash prize. The runners-up received a certificate and a cash prize of €150.

The STAR awards 2009 also featured the popular hotel worker of the year, held for the second consecutive year. This award is staff-driven whereby exemplary hotel employees are nominated by a group of colleagues. The award for 2009 went to Stuart Psaila from the Hilton Malta who received a certificate, an 18ct gold lapel-pin and €800 cash prize. The runners-up received a certificate and a cash prize of €150, while all remaining finalists received a certificate.

CHI open sales offices in Germany and Egypt

Floriana, 23/02/10 - CHI Hotels & Resorts has opened two new regional sales offices in Germany and a one in Cairo, Egypt.

As regional director of sales for the German leisure sector based in Dusseldorf, Gero Birkenmaier joins CHI with experience gained in leisure sales, most recently with Orient Express Hotels and before that with German tour operations and Disneyland Resort Paris.

The responsibility for developing the increasingly important meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) sector in Germany and Switzerland has been entrusted to Frankfurt-based Amin Masshafi, as CHI’s regional director of sales for MICE. He gained MICE sales experience through his association with Club Med Hotels and with InterContinental, Concorde and Radisson SAS.

Eyeing the vast potential of the African and Middle East markets, CHI Hotels & Resorts also set up an office in Cairo run by Ghada Goher as director of sales for the region.

Goher is not new to CHI or the region, having previously been engaged as revenue manager and later director of sales at the CHI operated Corinthia Hotel Tripoli.

MIA tops European airport league

Luqa, 19/02/10 – Malta International Airport (MIA) has been voted fourth best airport in Europe by the Airport Council International.

MIA has also been classified third best in Europe for its shopping facilities. This result is evidently attributable to the recent improvements that were unveiled at MIA in 2009, most notably the expansion of the retail area with its innovative concept of a virtual walk-through shopping mall.

MIA also fared very well on other scores such as the availability of parking facilities and its related value for money whereby MIA placed fifth in Europe. Moreover good results were notably achieved for the availability of banking facilities and internet/WiFi access whereby MIA also placed fourth in Europe.

ABTA to hold 2010 convention at Hilton Malta centre, special rates from five star hotels

Mosta, 12/02/10 – ABTA – The Travel Association of the United Kingdom will hold its 2010 travel convention at the Hilton Malta Conference Centre from 18 to 20 October.

The convention is expected to welcome around 800 UK-based travel operators as well as around 50 journalists.

Special rates for delegates will be offered by the five star Hilton Malta, the Westin Dragonara Resort, the InterContinental Malta and the four star Vivaldi Hotel with bed and breakfast rates from €45 per person, per night in a twin occupancy room. Air Malta will also offer delegates a fixed fare of £100 return plus taxes for bookings placed before to 31 March and £125 return plus taxes for bookings made before to 31 May. Thereafter a 25 per cent discount will be available on the published fares.

MIA to host airport trading conference

Luqa, 27/01/10 - Between 26 and 28 April, Malta International Airport will be hosting the 19th ACI Europe Airport Trading Conference and Exhibition, expected to be the leading airport commercial event of 2010.

The European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) is partnering MIA in holding this event together with the collaboration of Vienna International Airport. The ETRC is the council of national trade associations and its members are the individual companies operating in European travel retail markets.

Speakers at this conference include Frank O’Connell, president of the ETRC, John Holland-Kaye, commercial director of BAA, Joe Cappello, CEO of Air Malta, Tim Rycroft, Global Travel and Middle East Corporate Relations Director, Friedrich Schock, CEO of APCOA, whereas the keynote speaker will be Gerald Ratner – CEO of geraldonline.com and author of the Rise and Fall…and Rise Again. Julian Jaeger CEO of Malta International Airport will also address the delegates.

The exhibition that will be organised alongside the parley at the Mediterranean Conference Centre will be attracting related exhibitors and some 450 senior level executives from airports, retailers, planners, suppliers and other enterprises concerned with the future of non-aviation revenue development at airports. It uniquely brings together an audience of senior commercial airport management, presenting an excellent showcasing platform for industry, suppliers and providers.

MTA appoints Switzerland marketing manager

Valletta, 03/01/10 - The Malta Tourism Authority has appointed Louis Burgess (left) marketing manager Switzerland.

Burgess is responsible for the planning and co-ordination of the authority’s marketing activities in Switzerland - a region that is targeted for further growth this year.

Burgess has extensive knowledge of the Swiss market and the MTA is “confident that he can support and direct this development”.

Farrugia appointed MTA chairman

Valletta, 01/01/10 – As of today, Louis Farrugia is the new chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority, he takes over from Sam Mifsud, whose term of office expired on 31 December.

Farrugia (left) leads the MTA in challenging times. His knowledge and experience, having been at the helm of Malta’s premier business organisations for many years - he is chairman of Simonds Farsons Cisk, Malta’s leading brewers - will be an asset in 2010 as the country’s tourism industry aims to beat the international economic recession and return to growth.

Mifsud, meantime, has been appointed advisor to the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, and will continue to advise the government on route development strategy.

Mifsud led the MTA’s board since September 2006. During his tenure he was instrumental in bringing about a number of organisational changes at the MTA and in enticing airlines to start operating new routes to Malta. As a result Malta’s tourism grew to unprecedented levels, with record years in 2007 and 2008.