The Maltese Islands were again successfully represented by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), the Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) as well as Maltese and Gozitan tourism industry partners, at the 46th edition of the world’s leading travel show, the International Travel Bureau (ITB), held in Berlin last month.
During a well-attended press meeting held on the Malta stand at the ITB, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Mario de Marco, as well as MTA CEO Josef Formosa Gauci, gave an extensive presentation about the various facets of the Maltese Islands’ tourism offer to selected journalists from leading German trade and consumer media. Dr de Marco highlighted this year’s prioritised focus on the promotion of the capital, Valletta, as a manifold short- and city-break destination, and also gave details about the Renzo Piano-designed City Gate projects, Valletta’s candidature for the European Capital of Culture 2018, as well as the significant increase in quality events and initiatives being organised within and around Valletta, such as the Isle of MTV concert, the Malta International Fireworks’ Festival, the International summer Arts Festival, the Malta Jazz Festival, Notte Bianca and a host of other initiatives.
Dr de Marco also met with a group of visiting Maltese students from the Institute of Tourism Studies who were participating in a number of ITB educational workshops as part of their programme.
Officials from the MTA and representatives from the GTA held many high-level meetings with various representatives from the international travel trade at fair. German tour operators and travel agents also had the opportunity to attend a number of successful workshops and presentations, organised by the MTA’s German office, relating to the many and varied holiday offers that the Maltese Islands provide.
10,644 exhibitors from 187 countries participated in this year’s ITB. The fair was attended by a total of 113,000 trade visitors – an increase of 2,200 visitors over 2011. Over 55,000 consumers flocked to the halls on the weekend; the two days in which the fair is open to the public.