NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
ISLE OF MTV
The 2010 Isle of MTV Malta
Special will be held on Wednesday June 30, MTV announced..
"The free open air concert
will take place in the spectacular Fosos (Granaries) Square in Floriana on the
beautiful
"Now in its 4th consecutive
year, the Isle of MTV Malta Special is unique in offering young people across
Past artists have included
The Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias,
"The 30th June Isle of MTV
Malta Special concert promises to be, yet again, this summer's must-see event,"
it added.
The concert is held in
collaboration with the Malta Tourism
Authority.
For more details, log onto
www.isleofmtv.com.
Pope Benedict XVI pastoral
visit to Malta
On the footsteps of St. Paul
February 10th is a special day in Malta, it’s a holy day of obligation, because it commemorates the island nation’s first encounter with Christianity. On February 10th each year the people gather in the capital Valetta to mark the anniversary of Saint Paul's Shipwreck on their shores, 1,950 years ago. A procession carries his statue through the streets of the capital accompanied by marching bands and fireworks, remembering the Saint's miracles after he took refuge on the island.
The Apostle to the Gentiles is considered to be the
spiritual father of the Maltese. His shipwreck is popularly considered as the
greatest event in the nation's history. Pope Benedict XVI chose February 10th to
publish the program for his first pilgrimage to the shores of the Mediterranean
island on April 17th and 18th next. He chose the feast of the Saint’s Shipwreck
because that is the principal theme of this his 14th Voyage outside Italy. Pope
Benedict will arrive in Malta on the afternoon of Saturday, April 17, and after
paying a courtesy visit to the President of the Republic, he will travel
directly to the Grotto of St Paul in Rabat. According to tradition, St Paul
rejected the comfortable surroundings offered to him by the islanders and chose
to live in this subterranean grotto for the three months he remained on the
island. On Sunday, April 18th, Pope Benedict will preside over Mass in Granaries
Square Floriana. In the afternoon, he will travel by boat to Valletta Port for
the meeting with young people, on the quays before his farewell ceremony at
Malta International Airport and his return to Rome. This will be the third papal
village to the archipelago after those of John Paul II in 1990 and 2001.
More information at:
http://pope.maltadiocese.org/
Louis Farrugia takes over MTA's Chairmanship
Mr Louis Farrugia will be heading the MTA in challenging
times. His knowledge and experience, having been at the helm of one of an>
Mr Sam Mifsud is being appointed Advisor to the Parliamentary Secretary for
Tourism. He will continue to advise government on route development strategy.
Mr Mifsud has led the MTA’s Board since September 2006.
During his tenure he was instrumental in bringing about a number of
organisational changes within MTA and in enticing airlines to start operating
new routes to
Hon Mario de Marco, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Mr Josef Formosa Gauci CEO, Malta Tourism Authority handing out the QA Seal certificates at the Awards Ceremony February 2010
Another four destination management companies (DMCs) have been awarded the Malta Tourism Authority’s Quality Assured seal by Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco and the authority’s CEO Mr Josef Formosa Gauci.
The award ceremony was held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre this afternoon. This brings the number of Quality Assured DMCs to 22, equivalent to 34 per cent of local DMCs.
In his speech, Dr de Marco said that the achievement of this award signified the excellent level service offered by the DMCs.
The fact that 22 DMCs obtained the MTA’s Quality Assured seal in the first two years of the scheme was very encouraging, especially when one considered that a considerable amount of time and resources were needed when one committed to the scheme.
It was encouraging because it showed that DMCs were finding scope for gaining and maintaining the Quality Assured seal, thanks to the many benefits the scheme offered.
Dr de Marco said conference and incentive travel accounted for 3.8 per cent of tourist arrivals in 2009, mainly in the shoulder months, and generating higher per capita expenditure than leisure tourists.
He insisted that the government recognised the value of this industry and was committed to assisting it in several ways, including through the Government Conferences Fund, launched last year, which was to extended to NGOs this year.
The Parliamentary Secretary said that in 2009 the MTA allocated funds for each of the 18 Quality Assured DMCs which were then on the scheme, to partially cover their expenses for an overseas marketing initiative, such as sales calls or advertising, and this was to be done again this year.
Through such initiatives the government aimed to increase Malta’s competitiveness as a destination for MICE, fulfilling the objectives of the National Tourism Policy for the Maltese Islands in so far as quality being one of the key factors for the tourism industry to be more competitive.
This voluntary scheme was launched in September 2008 and the first 18 DMCs were awarded in January last year.
To obtain the Quality Assured seal, DMCs must comply with a number of criteria including general liability insurance, financial stability, efficiency at responding to clients’ requests, client and supplier recommendations, and staff training.
Quality Assured DMCs are audited on an annual basis to retain the quality seal.