The Malta Tourism Authority recently participated at the IBTM fair in Barcelona, together with trade partners such as the national airline Air Malta, and another 14 Maltese trade partners ‒ Quality Assured Destination Management Companies, top hotels and other stakeholders, who once more successfully showcased the varied Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Events offerings of the Maltese Islands.

The IBTM is a specialised MICE fair and is considered by many to be the leading global event for the Incentive Business Travel and Meetings. In fact, over the three days that the fair took place, the Maltese Islands stand was available to over 10,000 professionals from the MICE industry, which provided a great opportunity to discuss new business as well as strengthen existing ties.

This year for the first time, four students from the Institute of Tourism Studies were given the opportunity to gain firsthand experience at the fair. This interesting experience was made possible by the collaboration of the MTA and ITS. The students prepared a number of traditional local delicacies, which were then served at the MTA stand for visitors to sample. This was also a good opportunity for the students to get firsthand experience of how the MICE industry operates.

All the Maltese participants agreed that their participation at the IBTM 2015 fair was very productive and that plenty of interest was shown by buyers and conference organisers in what the Maltese Islands have to offer in the growing MICE sector. The MTA will be participating in a number of international fairs during 2016, with the main objective of promoting the Maltese Islands as an ideal destination for MICE business.

The Maltese Islands attracts around 86,000 MICE delegates annually, which represented around 6.8% of total visitors last year, with the MICE visitors contributing to over €20m to our local economy. Through the launch of Conventions Malta, the Ministry for Tourism and the Malta Tourism Authority have set in motion a strategy, with the main focus on increasing the number of MICE delegations, particularly in relation to conferences organised by international associations or companies.