For the latest press releases and developments within the Malta Tourism Authority go to MTA News.
MTA Executive Chairman's presentation at business breakfast about tourism
In order to download the slides of the presentation delivered by MTA Executive Chairman, Mr Romwald Lungaro-Mifsud, at a recent business breakfast about tourism, kindly click on the PDF link below.
Michele Zarrillo live in Malta
Production Event Services (PRES) have announced that on the 4th of June 2006 Michele Zarrillo will be holding his first concert in Malta accompanied by his professional band and during which the public can enjoy two and a half hours of his best songs. These will include classics such as Cinque Giorni, Una Rosa Blu, La Notte dei Pensieri together with the latest song presented at this year’s Sanremo festival, L’Alfabeto degli Amanti. This concert will bear the unique signature that characterizes all Michele Zarrillo concerts which is elegance and sophistication. The concert is being held at the Grandmaster’s Suite at the exclusive and upmarket Hilton Malta. Gold Circle tickets are priced at Lm 30.00, V.I.P. seated tickets are selling for Lm 25.00 while General Seated tickets are at Lm 15.00 (for pre-bookings up to the first 250 tickets; following the tickets will be priced at Lm 18.00.) Bookings can be made either by e-mail info@pres-malta.com or by telephone on numbers 21232288 or hotline numbers 99800100 or 79232288.
FictionPlane to Support Sting
Support act for the Sting concert on June 6th at Luxol Grounds (ex Parade Ground), Pembroke will be English band FictionPlane led by Sting's son Joe Sumner. Fiction Plane is a North London band that began their career in America. They were signed to MCA in America and began a nine-month tour to promote their prophetically named debut album Everything Will Never Be OK. Their Pavement, Eels, U2 and Jesus Lizard influences were received to rapturous effect. Their energetic live show took them all around the states, Canada and Japan. As it tends to happen in the music industry, their label (MCA) was swallowed up in a corporate restructuring. The band was moved over to the legendary label Geffen records. This new home energized the bands creative juices and they went on a writing spree. Fiction Plane found their musical place, somewhere altogether new; furious energy channeled into well-crafted songs and melodies that gave life to their much talked about lyrics. One of the latest fruits of their labor has been the EP 'Bitter Forces and Lame Racehorses' (Everybody's Records), produced by Paul Corkett (The Cure, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Cooper Temple Clause), which was the first release on their home turf. After a quick 2 week U.K. tour to support that EP, the band has continued it's rapid writing pace and is ready to start recording it's first Geffen release. For more information ticket hotline: 9933 4444 or visit www.nngpromotions.com
Worldwide Launch for New European Travel Portal - visiteurope.com
Vienna, 21 March 2006. The new European travel portal www.visiteurope.com was given its worldwide launch at the European Tourism Ministers' Conference which took place today in Vienna. The new internet portal will provide a unique platform for marketing Europe as a single tourism destination. Arthur Oberascher, President of the European Travel Commission, stressed the strategic importance of IT and E-Commerce for European tourism at a joint press conference with European Commission Vice-President, Günter Verheugen and Austria's Minister of Economic Affairs, Martin Bartenstein. " We know that the US travel market already spends more money online than offline. This is a paradigm shift that is changing the whole travel and tourism industry - and a shift that Europe is reacting to at a professional level with 'visiteurope.com' ”, said Oberascher. For the full press release, click here.
The Mediterranean Food Festival and BOV Opera Festival: Highlights of the Month in Malta & Gozo Day by Day
The March issue of the monthly ‘what’s on’ magazine, MALTA & GOZO DAY BY DAY, provides full information on the Mediterranean Food Festival being held on March 2 to 5, and March 10 to 12. Another cultural highlight of the month, with full coverage in the visitor-oriented magazine is the BOV Opera Festival, whilst the Gozo pages feature the Marco Masini concert at Teatru Aurora in Victoria. The quality, highly illustrated, monthly magazine provides up-to-date information for visitors to the Maltese Islands and expatriate residents on the current month’s events in English, German, French and Italian. The information list includes feasts and events, re-enactments, church services, opera, theatre, concerts, lectures, cultural tours, entertainment, exhibitions and museums. The magazine is itself a guide-book, providing an illustrated outline of the main historic events, places of interest and general information of interest to visitors. Complimentary copies of ‘Malta & Gozo Day by Day’ are made available to visitors staying in five and four-star hotels, from Malta Tourism Authority Information Offices, and is mailed to ex-patriate residents in Malta and Gozo who may subscribe for their copy by e-mailing impactpr@maltanet.net The magazine is also accessible on www.maltaandgozo.com
Air Malta Announces 4th Quarter 2005 Results
Air Malta today announced its results for the 4th Quarter covering the period October to December 2005. The airline carried almost 10,250 more passengers on its intra-European operations when compared to the same period the previous year. However traffic on its scheduled network to and from Malta decreased by almost 8,000 (-2.53%) passengers, while charter passengers decreased by 20,000. Seat Factor on its scheduled services reached 64% against 67% the previous year. Overall total traffic (scheduled and charter) during the 4th Quarter amounted to 371,000 a reduction of 18,000 passengers (-4.6%) over the same period the previous year. During this period Air Malta flew 450,000 seats an increase of 10,000 on the corresponding period the previous year. Full Story
20 Years at the Forefront of European Tourism Researc: ETC declares 2006 as 'Year of Market Intelligence'
The Research Group of the European Travel Commission is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. And to mark the occasion, ETC has declared 2006 the 'Year of Market Intelligence'. Meeting recently in Cyprus for their 20th Annual Research Directors' Meeting, the research directors of Europe's 34 National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) gave the green light to a challenging new programme of activities designed to highlight the fundamental importance of market intelligence to the success of the European tourism industry - a programme that also demonstrates the value of European co-operation in this vital economic sector. The group also renamed itself the ‘Market Intelligence Group’ (MIG). For the full ETC press release click here.
Air Malta and Lufthansa: jointly serving a worldwide network
Airlines sign a Memorandum of Understanding for bilateral cooperation
From Air Malta
Air Malta and Lufthansa German Airlines intend to start a bilateral cooperation. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Ernst Funk, CEO of Air Malta, and Joachim Steinbach, Vice President of Lufthansa German Airlines today.“Air Malta already has a very close cooperation with Lufthansa Technik for several years”, Ernst Funk, CEO of Air Malta, stated at a press conference this morning. “Based on this excellent experience we have decided to enhance this cooperation to the passenger airline”. Both airlines are planning to adjust their timetables and give their passengers the opportunity to increase connections to worldwide destinations. “Lufthansa offers 187 destinations in 79 countries during the coming summer timetable”, Joachim Steinbach, Vice President of Lufthansa, explained. “Additionally to the daily Lufthansa flight from Malta to Frankfurt, passengers traveling from Malta can now also make use of the daily Air Malta flights to Munich connecting to worldwide Lufthansa destinations”, he added. Starting with the summer timetable Air Malta will be flying to the new Lufthansa Terminal T2 at Munich International Airport. Air Malta Passengers can then easily connect to Lufthansa flights, following the standard 35 minutes minimum connecting time of Munich Airport. “With this cooperation Malta will move closer to Europe and the rest of the world”, Mr. Funk said. “The passengers can now choose their connections out of a much broader variety of flights to both Munich and Frankfurt”, he explained. “The next step of our cooperation will be the introduction of code-share flights”, he continued. “We are planning to introduce the first code-share flights with the start of the winter timetable 2006/07 in November this year”, Ernst Funk stated. A joint code allows the airlines to use their own flight numbers also on flights operated by the partner airline, and offer connecting flights beyond the hubs with own flight numbers. Air Malta has operated to Germany since its launch in 1974. Currently the summer programme of flights to Germany by Air Malta includes five weekly flights to Frankfurt and a daily to Munich. These flights are supplemented with a four times weekly operation to Düsseldorf and twice weekly operations to Berlin, Hamburg and a weekly flight to Cologne. Lufthansa has been operating to Malta for more than 20 years. Today the German carrier offers a daily flight from Malta to Frankfurt and through its Star Alliance Network more than 800 onward connections into 130 countries.
Malta Brings Luck to FC Winterthur
From Air Malta
Recently Winterthur FC, a football team from the Swiss second division, traveled on Air Malta to Malta for a training camp. Soon after their Malta camp the team traveled to Geneve to play their quarter final match of the Swiss Cup against FC Servette and won 3-1 after extra time gaining access to the semi finals. This was the first time that the team had their training camp in Malta and Air Malta assisted the team with their travel arrangements. FC Winterthur can now be drawn to play either FC Zurich, Young Boys (both from the Super League) or FC Sion (current leaders of the Challenge League - the same league as FC Winterthur). At present, the team is occupying a mid table position in the league and their aim is to progress in the cup and to consolidate their position in the Swiss second division.
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Chairman_breakfast_meeting_10052006_presentation.pdf