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Occupying a land area of just 316 square kilometres to put it in context, that s around 13 times smaller than Dubai Malta is one of the world s smallest countries. Still, what it lacks in size, it more than compensates for with its raw beauty and eclectic mix of cultures.
Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, the Maltese archipelago consisting of the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino is a gateway between Europe and North Africa. Steeped in history, it boasts prehistoric temples and archeological treasures dating back 7,000 years, while its subtropical climate continues to tempt travellers looking for sun, sand and sea. With all these charms, it is no surprise that last year the country attracted 1.5 million visitors, more than three times its population of 409,000.
In the Middle East, Malta s prominence as a destination for corporate meetings and incentives is starting to gain steady ground. norwegian cruise review opinion spirit Over the past year, 50 percent of the enquiries received by Alshamel Travel norwegian cruise review opinion spirit from UAE companies were for Malta, according to Claudia Saba, MICE Manager.
Based in Dubai, Alshamel Travel provides corporate, VIP and leisure norwegian cruise review opinion spirit travel solutions ranging from air ticketing, travel insurance and hotel booking to corporate travel management and vacation planning. As a destination, Malta offers norwegian cruise review opinion spirit diverse activities that groups can explore. In terms of pricing, it is relatively cheaper and good value for money when compared with other destinations in Europe, says Saba.
Travel management company SNTTA has organised small- and medium-sized groups from the UAE to Malta. Sai Rattan, Senior General Manager Corporate Sales and Holidays, believes that as interest and awareness about Malta grows, the company will bring even more meeting and incentive groups to the islands.
Malta has the right ingredients to attract the MICE segment from this country. Apart from flight accessibility, it has a number of attractions norwegian cruise review opinion spirit from scenic beauty and temperate weather to modern hotels and facilities that prove ideal to corporate group travellers, Rattan said.
While Malta continues to look at Europe as its main source of tourism business, it is seeking to diversify its client base by exploring other opportunities norwegian cruise review opinion spirit beyond the Eurozone to include countries across the Middle East. As a result, the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) partners with the Consulate General of Malta in Dubai to promote the country norwegian cruise review opinion spirit as a meetings and incentives destination to companies within norwegian cruise review opinion spirit the UAE.
Josef Formosa Gauci, MTA s Chief Executive Officer, says they regularly norwegian cruise review opinion spirit organise sales calls, norwegian cruise review opinion spirit workshops and other activities to raise awareness about Malta. We are also keen to further develop the Middle East market and demonstrate norwegian cruise review opinion spirit that the Maltese islands are always open for business and eager to meet and exceed client expectations.
Alpine Sterling, a destination management company (DMC) based in Malta, currently welcomes the majority (around 80 percent) of its clients from Europe, but Managing Director Warren Zahra says the company is keen to explore the Middle East and Dubai in particular especially norwegian cruise review opinion spirit as Emirates operates daily flights to the islands.
We do not have as much business as we would like from the Middle East, but hopefully this will change as we raise awareness about the islands. The Maltese norwegian cruise review opinion spirit islands can offer an undiscovered gem to visitors from this region who are looking for something different that is not too far from home, he says.
Corinthia Hotels, which launched its first property the Corinthia Palace Hotel Spa in Malta over 40 years ago and has since expanded its portfolio throughout Europe and Africa, receives a small, but significant, number of guests from the UAE and other Gulf countries. Nicholas Borg, Regional Director of Sales at Corinthia Hotels, believes that the market from the GCC will continue to grow as flight connectivity strengthens norwegian cruise review opinion spirit through Emirates and Air Malta s partnership with Etihad Airways.
Over the past five years we have seen a stable and consistent growth in terms of number of delegates attending conference and incentive events being held on the Maltese islands. From just under 65,000 in 2008, it has grown to 80,000 delegates in 2011, says MTA s Formosa Gauci.
Revenues from tourism, including the meetings and incentives sector, represent almost 28 percent or EUR1.8 norwegian cruise review opinion spirit billion (US$2.3 norwegian cruise review opinion spirit billion) of the country s GDP in 2011, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). In addition, tourism supports over 40,000 jobs, which makes it an important pillar of the country s economy.
The current economic situation in Europe, Malta s main source market, is expected to stifle growth in total tourism receipts. Despite this, WTTC predicts that the archipelago will continue to post a minimal hike of three percent annually to reach EUR2.3 billion (US$3 billion) by 2022.
Leisure travel currently remains norwegian cruise review opinion spirit the top generator of tourism euros for Malta, accounting for EUR1.1 billion (US$1.4 billion) in 2012. However, norwegian cruise review opinion spirit WTTC anticipates norwegian cruise review opinion spirit that business travel spending will post a consistent two percent annual growth from EUR111 million (US$143 million) in 2012 to EUR135 million (US$174 million) within a decade.
The meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions segment is very lucrative in terms of the income it generates for the Maltese Islands. It is estimated that meetings and incentives visitors spend three times more than the average leisure tourist. Furthermore, 2011 was a record year for the conference and incentive travel sector in Malta. We received an unprecedented 80,000 delegates, representing 5.5 percent of total inbound travel, Formosa Gauci explains.
Formosa Gauci says Malta s appeal as a meetings destination runs deep in its history. The prehistoric temples norwegian cruise review opinion spirit on the islands were utilised for ritualistic meetings by ancient civilisations. Now, Malta, Gozo and Comino are hosts to a number of corporate and association conferences and incentive events.
The largest conference hosted in Malta to date was the Swedish cosmetics norwegian cruise review opinion spirit firm Oriflame s annual meeting in August 2010, which brought 5,000 sales agents to the islands and generated an economic impact of around EUR8 million (US$10.4 million).
Among the other major international gatherings that have been held in Malta over the past two years include the Association of British Travel Agents convention, the European Tourism Forum, the International Council of Nurses meeting, the 5th European Public Health Conference and the World Health Oganisation s European norwegian cruise review opinion spirit Regional Committee norwegian cruise review opinion spirit conference.
DMCs and hoteliers in Malta share MTA s confidence in the meetings and convention sector s continued growth. They also believe that outlook for the industry remains rosy as demand for destinations with diverse incentive offerings remain upbeat.
Warren Zahra of Alpine Sterling, says while Malta has natural attractions that draw visitors from all over the world, it is also an evolving norwegian cruise review opinion spirit meetings destination that has kept up with the demands of consumers. Our company has been in business since the late 1960s and we have seen many changes in the industry during this time. Today, our meetings and events portfolio norwegian cruise review opinion spirit represents approximately 65 percent of our total turnover, with leisure representing the remaining 35 percent. We believe this will be the pattern for the foreseeable future, he says.
According to Davide Cachia, Managing Director of Colours of Malta, the meetings and incentives sector in the country has seen year-on-year norwegian cruise review opinion spirit growth norwegian cruise review opinion spirit of about 22 percent in the past three years. He believes the industry has the potential to grow further, but is concerned that certain factors, such as limited air connectivity, may continue to stifle the industry s development.
Most of our corporate business comes from mainland Europe with the UK, Germany, Italy and France as the main contributors, followed by Spain, Eastern Europe and the Scandinavian countries. The North American market is growing at a fast pace, but without direct flights servicing routes between the US and Malta, the number of visitors we receive will be limited, he says.
Cachia s sentiment is reflected in the current lineup of carriers offering flights to and from Malta. The majority of the airlines passing through Malta International Airport are from Europe (Air France, Lufthansa, Air Berlin, Alitalia, SAS, Norwegian and Ryanair) and the Middle East and North Africa (Emirates, Egypt Air, Tunis Air and Libyan Airlines).
At the time of going to press, no major announcements on non-stop flights between North American destinations norwegian cruise review opinion spirit and Malta have been announced, but national carrier Air Malta is strengthening its existing market base by expanding its code share agreements with partner airlines such as the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, Austrian, Italy s Meridiana fly and Germany s Lufthansa.
Following the code share deal in November, Etihad Airways passengers can fly to Malta from Abu Dhabi via London Heathrow, Manchester and Brussels airports. Air Malta will then carry passengers for their connecting flights norwegian cruise review opinion spirit from these European hubs to Malta.
One of the 27 European Union (EU) member states, Malta joined norwegian cruise review opinion spirit the regional bloc in 2004 and began using the euro as its official currency in 2008. It is also a member of the Schengen area since 2007. These developments, says Corinthia Hotel s Borg, have helped cement Malta s position as a business tourism destination in Europe.
Since Malta joined the EU, many international companies have established a presence on the islands and this also resulted to a