The Special Thanks and Recognition awards presentation ceremony, organised by the Malta Tourism Authority, took place on Thursday, 8 February at the Corinthia Palace. Now in its 13th year, this annual event recognises exceptional service and hospitality by people who work in the tourism industry.
The event included a number of different awards. The first set of awards were the Star service awards which sees the tourists themselves nominate people they have met during their holiday who, in their view, offered outstanding service and helped make their stay better. In 2017 the MTA received over 12,000 tourist nominations for individuals from all sectors of the tourism industry.
The finalists were invited to the event and nine persons received the Star award. These are Alfred Bray, Charlie Bonanno, Cristian Teuma, Jacqueline Grima, Joseph Mercieca, Michael Pace, Paul Vella, Sandrine Masson and Therese Micallef.
Another important annual award is the Hotel Worker of the Year which was awarded to Joseph Ciprian Magro, sales executive at the Solana Hotel & Spa. For this award, employees are nominated by the hotel where they work and the winner is chosen by the Star committee made up of five members hailing from different tourism-related organisations namely Fatta, ITS, MAHE, MHRA and the MTA.
This year at the Star awards, Vecchia Napoli SkyParks was also recognised as a Quality Assured restaurant with the most nominated staff in 2017. We also introduced the Malta Tourism Authority Worker of the Year award which went to Michelle Camilleri.
Another first was recognising the GTA Gozo Tourism Worker and Young Tourism Worker of the year which went to Manuel Sultana and Richard Galea, respectively.
The last award of the night went to Emanuel Calleja for outstanding hospitality and kindness. Mr Campbell, a Scottish national who nominated Calleja for this special recognition award, came to Malta specifically to present the award.
List of winners and place of work
Alfred Bray, Seashells Resort at Suncrest
Charlie Bonanno, Charlie's Discovery Speed Boat Trips
Cristian Teuma, Casa Gemelli Boutique Guesthouse
Jacqueline Grima, tourist guide
Joseph Mercieca, Country Terrace
Michael Pace, taxi driver
Paul Vella, Zem Coaches
Sandrine Masson, Meeting Point
Therese Micallef, Malta Falconry Centre
Joseph Ciprian Magro, Solana Hotel & Spa (Hotel Worker of the Year)
Michelle Camilleri, MTA Worker of the Year award