Malta tops global list for focus on tourism. The island scored 40th out of 141 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2015 report on travel and tourism competitiveness. Malta prioritises travel and tourism more than any other economy in the world, according to an international study.. On overall travel and tourism (T&T) competitiveness, Malta finished 40th in a 141-nation table compiled by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum. But on T&T prioritisation, the island was ranked highest, scoring 6.03 points out of a possible seven. The report was based on ranking countries in 14 ‘pillars’ of the industry and overall Malta came off very well. It was ranked 17th for health and hygiene, 22nd for its ground and port infrastructure, 24th for its tourist service infrastructure and 25th for safety and security. This last was boosted by its lack of terrorist activity, in which Malta scored the maximum seven points for no reported incidences.
Spain topped the table for overall T&T competitiveness, with France second and Germany third. Malta welcomes 2015 with big Valletta party. Travel Agent Academy Launches Malta Specialist Program. Travel Agent Academy, in conjunction with Malta Tourism Authority, is excited to announce the launch of the Malta Specialist Program, an educational program that will provide agents with the information they need to better sell the magical destination of Malta to their clients. Situated at the center of the Mediterranean, only 58 miles south of Sicily, Malta is one of the smallest countries in the world, packed with pleasures including ancient towns and archaeological sites, expansive beaches with award-wining diving experiences and much, much more.
The Malta Specialist program is a brief two-chapter program that will help agents understand why Malta should be recommended to a wide-range of their clients. Agents will learn the key selling points of its three islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino and how to see each island according to the special interests of your clients including history/culture/religious sites, relaxation, sports and adventure, family and weddings and honeymoons.
Land of the Giants: Ancient history is alive in tiny Malta - Travel. RABAT, Malta — Lizards skitter over rocks and seashells, vestiges of a long-ago landscape far different from the dry hills filled with cacti and prickly pears that characterize Gozo today. That was the time when giants dwelt on the islands of Malta, at least according to legend. Who else could have raised stones nearly 20 feet in height as part of the twin temples known as Ggantija? The soaring slabs that combine in clover-shaped hallways and apses are even more impressive considering their vintage: Ggantija is an estimated 5,600 years old. That’s 1,700 years older than Stonehenge. It is earth’s oldest freestanding, manmade structure.
Continue reading below Early archeologists may have jumped to the far-fetched conclusion that the island of Gozo (Ghawdex to locals) was once populated by giants, but researchers today don’t know much more about the neolithic people who built a countrywide cache of temples that were surprisingly high-tech for their times. Xaghra, Gozo Paola and Tarxien. Bridge between Malta and Gozo would cost €750 million - Chinese report. The construction of a bridge between Malta and Gozo would come with a price tag in the region of €750 million, according to the report by Chinese experts that the government has been reluctant to publish. The Prime Minister facing the press the day after the incident on Friday But sourcing the funding would not be the only obstacle in the way, by far. Environmental considerations attached to the project are likely to become a major bone of contention, should the government forge ahead with the project and issue an international call for expressions of interest.
These include, amongst others, a major invasive impact on Comino, should the preferred option be that of dividing the bridge into two sections, with the bridge resting on the island of Comino. It is likely, according to the Chinese report, that this option would be the most costeffective as it would avoid the construction of more pillars in the deep waters between Malta and Gozo. Kia’s first electric car launched in Malta. Cars International, represent-atives of Kia in Malta, have launched the first electric car – Soul – manufactured by the Korean brand, which continues to break into new grounds and increase its market share in the car industry. A landmark in Kia’s history, the zero-emissions Soul EV is Kia’s first electric vehicle to be marketed by the company outside Korea. The Soul EV is a uniquely- designed battery electric vehicle perfectly suited for city commuters, thanks to its class-leading drive range, a spacious cabin and generous cargo area.
Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said the government was pleased to see the private sector promoting such initiatives, as it understands the importance of culture change in Malta as we start to realise the negative impact that pollution has on our health. General manager Ryan Buttigieg said: “Combining the iconic design of the Kia Soul with advanced eco-friendly techno-logy has landed the Soul EV in a class of its own. Invading Malta | Gympie Times. I LIKE to think I'm on-trend when it comes to hot holiday destinations. I was in Malta when Brad Pitt was there making the movie Troy with his then wife Jennifer Aniston. Now he's just been back to Malta with new wife (enough said), proving it to be a hot honeymoon spot.
Malta is a rocky place and very tiny - smaller than the Isle of Wight - but it does have beautiful spots dotted around the island, and boy does it have a long and rich history. It has spent the past 7000 years being invaded. Everyone from the Phoenicians to the Arabs, Romans, Greeks and the Knights of the Order of St John have invaded and, most recently, the Germans had a go during the Second World War. Yet Malta still manages to keep cheerful. Due to its perfect strategic position in the Mediterranean, every captain sailing past for thousands of years must have eyed it with envy, sailed into port, fought a battle and taken ownership, only to have another captain sail by a short time later to follow suit. If you go: Our Top 4 Meals In Malta. During our time on Malta we seemed to eat on the go quite a bit - so much to do with so little time. Yummy Pastizzi made for ideal snacks on the road, but when we did get a chance to stop, what we did eat was delicious.
Here were our top 4 favourite meals during our time in Malta. Bad Ass Café Nestled in the heart of Valetta, we were immediately drawn in by the attitude-laden name of this café and the drool-inducing poster of a towering burger. My husband’s salvia glands started working overtime and we knew we had to indulge. We loved everything about this café. The convenient location on Old Theatre Street was opposite a spacious plaza where the kids could run and chase pudgy pigeons. We completely grasped the concept of their generous portions sizes when we tried our hand at a round of the unusual milkshakes, which were served in huge old fashion milk bottles. That’s a lot of milkshake! Next it was burger time. Look at those pictures? Palazzo Prince D’Orange Djair il-Bniet. The Candle Festival, Malta. I paused by the staircase of honey-slabbed stone.
From the main square, the songs of a saddened but powerful woman drifted through with rhythmic beats. Streams of people flitted past, chatting, laughing, and stopping to scoop up heart-shaped vol au vents and the sweet pastry-wrapped dates known as mqaret. And the light, that from yesterday’s full moon and the doorsteps and balconies that dripped with homemade candles made a single word glow: reptiles. Reptiles, it said, in shaky, handwritten black felt tip letters. I left the crowd behind and followed the “reptiles” sign downstairs. The staircase belonged to Birgu, also known as Vittoriosa, the former capital of Malta before the knights shifted ship across the water to nearby Valletta after a prolonged and profound city siege.
Beyond the candlelight, the festival proceeds like many others. Aside from the reptiles, which we’ll get to in a minute, other surprises walk my way. The Inquisitor’s Palace The outside is charming, the inside more so. Malta supports ambitious reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2030 - Louis Grech. Malta's Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Louis Grech, has lent the country's support to an ambitious reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2030, provided that the policy framework takes into account the realities of individual Member States. The Deputy Prime Minister made this statement at the meeting of the General Affairs Council that was held in Luxembourg on 21 October. Discussions focused mainly on the climate and energy package in preparation for the European Council, which will take place at the end of the week in Brussels. Delegations largely agreed on the importance of reaching an agreement on a new Climate and Energy Policy Framework, underlining the EU's leadership on climate change issues.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that national emissions reduction targets should be assigned in a fair and equitable way, taking into account issues such as economies of scale and specific territorial realities of Member States. With regard to renewable energy and energy efficiency, Mr. Greek airline to start Malta-Athens flights next year. Greek private airline Aegean is to start flights to Malta in the summer next year from its Athens hub.
The airline, the biggest in Greece, said it intends to initially operate to Malta on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays all in the afternoon. It eventually plans to add a Sunday flight. The airline has been growing fast and will add 38 new routes next summer including links from from Heraklion to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Geneva, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen, London Gatwick, Metz, Milan (Malpensa), Nantes, Prague, Rome (Fiumicino), Stockholm (Arlanda), Stuttgart and Toulouse. It will also operate from Rhodes to Amsterdam, Geneva, Larnaca, Lyon, Stuttgart, Tel Aviv and Vienna, as well as from Corfu to Paris and Rome. New services from Athens will also fly to Paphos (Cyprus), Oslo, Bordeaux, Dubrovnik, Helsinki, Naples, Pisa, Preveza, Riyadh, Tallinn, Tehran, Toulouse and Yerevan. Green Expo at University of Malta.
Prestige Holidays adds Malta to portfolio | Travel Daily UK. Prestige Holidays has added ‘undersold’ Malta to its portfolio for 2015. The tour operator has announced new holidays to the island with the Cavalieri Art Hotel and Golden Tulip Vivaldi close to the St Julian area. Hotels have also been added in another six destinations including Crete, Morocco, Mallorca, Sicily, Turkey and the Algarve. “We are delighted to have added to our Malta portfolio for the first time in quite a few years. Malta is an undersold island. The other hotel additions include the Amirandes Resort, Crete; Kasbah Angour and Sofitel Essaouira Mogadir, Morocco; Gran Melia Victoria Hotel and Hotel Costa Azul, Mallorca; Verdura Gold & Spa Resort, Sicily; Hillside Beach Club and D-Resort Grand Azur, Turkey and Conrad Algarve. Exotic planes, Special Colors and Display Teams at the Malta International Air Show 2014. Held at Malta International Airport in the weekend of Sept. 27-28, the traditional Malta International Airshow featured some really interesting visitors.
Among the highlights of this year’s edition, the K-8E jet and C-130H Hercules cargo plane of the Egyptian Air Force, the German Navy P-3C, the AW139 of the Italian Guardia Costiera (Coast Guard), the BN2 and Alouette helicopter of the Armed Forces of Malta and the G550 AEW aircraft of the Israeli Air Force. Noteworthy, during the Sunday’s Finale, the Red Arrows display team made a flypast escorting an Air Malta A320. Photographer and The Aviationist’s contributor Estelle Calleja took the following interesting pictures of the airshow. Image credit: Estelle Calleja. ‘Stability of social climate’: Malta’s most attractive FDI feature - MaltaToday.com.mt. Policy makers, major stakeholders all gathered under one roof to discuss Malta's attractiveness to foreign direct investment (Photo: Ray Attard) Malta’s leaders and the top business people have gathered at the Westin Dragonara in St Julian’s today to discuss Malta’s attractiveness survey prepared by top accountancy firm EY.
Among the top speakers is Alastair Campbell, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman and director of communications. Campbell is expected to speak about the importance of an overall image and brand to small countries like Malta that have to fight much harder to be seen and to be listened to Read More: Malta lacks ‘powerful sense of what it’s about’ Other important speakers include Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and Poland’s former prime minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz. Top five most attractive FDI features 79% of the respondents believe that Malta is attractive for FDI while 15% “couldn’t say”. 6% replied no. 79% of investors see Malta as attractive, down from 91% three years ago.
An Ernst and Young survey of Malta's investment attractiveness has shown that 79 per cent of current foreign investors in Malta still find Malta attractive for investment, down from 91 per cent in a similar survey three years ago. The shift resulted primarily in a movement in responses from a positive outlook to 'don't know' rather than a movement into the 'not attractive' bracket, EY said. The level of uncertainty grew from 3% to 9% between 2012 and 2013 and from 9% to 15% between 2013 and 2014, "This shows that there is certainly no room for complacency if the country wants to ensure that the shift from positive to uncertain does not go from uncertain to negative" the report warns. Fifty-two percent of respondents believed Malta would remain attractive in three years' time, down from 62 per cent last year. The manufacturing sector seemed to be the least optimistic. The banks and the insurance sector were unanimous n this positive responses to Malta's investment attractiveness.
Malta elected to WHO executive board. Parliamentary Secretary for Health Chris Fearne attended and addressed the WHO Regional Committee meeting for Europe in Copenhagen. Mr Fearne announced that Malta is exploring with WHO the possibility of setting up a collaborating centre for Small European States within WHO in Malta. He also pointed out the strain placed on the Maltese health service capacity by the influx of migrants and the effects of conflicts in the Mediterranean. During this meeting Dr Ray Busuttil, Malta’s Government-nominated representative, has been elected to sit on the Executive Board of the WHO for three years starting in May 2015.
Through this election Malta will be one of eight member states from the 53 in the WHO European Region sitting on the Executive Board (35 members worldwide) and will thus be once again at the forefront of global health, a post it has not occupied for almost 30 years. Gozo Culture: The Island of Gozo MALTA. Malta: the Silicon Valley of the iGaming industry.
Malta holidays: A wonderful weekend on a royal favourite. Malta falls six places in world competitiveness. The Science and Arts Festival in Malta. Malta featured in the UK's top magazine for the travel industry. International fleet bound for Malta. Olive feast one of the 'most popular cultural events' in Malta - MaltaToday.com.mt. Take part in The Malta National Bicycle Ride. Malta: A benchmark for other Mediterranean islands. The coastal towers of Malta. European holidays: Guardian writers share their tips – and you can too | Travel. Malta's Sunset.