Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has refused to divulge details on the partnership agreement and its costs between Manchester United and VisitMalta.

Bartolo answered a parliamentary question by PN MP Jerome Caruana Cilia, saying that due to the commercial nature of the contract, the required information cannot be disclosed.

Through Visit Malta, the government first agreed the deal with Manchester United, which is one of the most followed sporting brands in the world, in 2019 when then Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi signed a three-year contract for Malta to be the club’s official destination partner.

The deal included the VisitMalta brand being given exposure during the club’s home matches and digital marketing channels, social media and on printed media worldwide.

However, the cost of the deal was never divulged despite repeated attempts by The Malta Independent and other media houses to obtain answers even after the deal was renewed.

Replying to another question on the cost of the trip to Manchester for the press event, Bartolo said it was carried out according to the MFE Circular No.3/2022 and cost government €6,600.