The Malta Tourism Authority recently took part at the World Travel Market, the global premier event for the international travel and tourism industry held annually between 6 and 8 November in London.
Over 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press attended this year's fair, with more than 5,000 suppliers of travel and tourism products exhibiting. Now in its 37th year, WTM is estimated to facilitate around £2.5bn in industry deals during the three days of meetings and discussions held at London's ExCel.
During this year's edition of the fair, the MTA and its various stand partners held over 100 meetings with current and prospective travel industry partners, tour operators, travel agents, airlines and other trade suppliers, as well as representatives of the international media.
The meetings were led by the Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi, MTA chairman Gavin Gulia, MTA CEO Paul Bugeja and the MTA's director for UK & Ireland Peter Vella. Other key officials from MTA and the Ministry for Tourism were also in attendance, together with top officials from Air Malta, the Ministry for Gozo and various co-exhibitors from the local travel industry including hoteliers and travel agencies.
Commenting on Malta's successful participation at WTM, the Minister for Tourism remarked: "Following Malta's outstanding performance in 2016, which is set to be surpassed this year, we were eager to discuss ways in which this momentum can be maintained in the coming months. We were pleased to hear that most operators reported positive prospects for the current winter season, summer 2018 and beyond. This is the result of the continuous efforts by our travel industry partners in Malta and abroad, including Air Malta and other carriers, with the active support of MTA and the Ministry."
Bugeja explained how "WTM is an annual appointment during which we get to meet with key industry players, not only from the UK market itself, but also globally. This year, our focus continued to primarily centre on the shoulder months and how together we can sustain further growth in this particular period of the year. During our meetings, we presented our newly-launched Calendar of Events for next year, and winter 18/19 with Valletta 18 European Capital of Culture taking centre stage."
Vella added: "The UK remains Malta's number one source market for visitors and has the potential to grow further with new routes to Malta, including Southend, Belfast and Aberdeen, coming on stream. In our marketing for the coming months, we shall continue to focus on Malta as an all-year-round destination, highlighting Gozo's distinct characteristics and targeting several niches, including LGBTIQ where Malta has been gaining increased popularity."