Malta Tourism Authority named finalist in three categories of the annual Travvy Awards

NEW YORK, New York – Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) was named a finalist in three categories of the Annual Travvy Awards which will be presented by travAlliancemedia at a Gala Awards night, New York Ci

NEW YORK, New York – Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) was named a finalist in three categories of the Annual Travvy Awards which will be presented by travAlliancemedia at a Gala Awards night, New York City, January 6, 2016. The categories for which MTA is being honored as a finalist are – The Best Luxury Destination Europe, The Best Luxury Destination Overall, and for the individual award categories, Most Innovative Tourism Executive Europe, Michelle Buttigieg, MTA US Representative.

The 2015 Travvy Awards recognizes the highest standards of excellence in the Industry today and honors travel companies, travel products, travel agencies, travel executives, travel agents and destinations for their outstanding achievement. Selection of the finalists is based on votes by travel agents. The final two winners are determined by the award-winning Travel Alliance editorial team.

Paul Bugeja, CEO, Malta Tourism Authority, stated โ€œMTA is very proud to receive such recognition especially in the American market, where there are many well established tourist boards. It is less than two years since MTA re-established its presence in the US with the appointment of Michelle Buttigieg as its representative based in New York City. This recognition shows that Malta has already made a major impact in the travel agent community. This is in a large part due to MTAโ€™s pro-active initiatives and the success of the Travel Agent training program which already has over 1000 Malta specialists.โ€

MTA, a member of the United State Tour Operator Association (USTOA), has been pro-active at the USTOA conferences with great success. MTA has expanded the number of tour operators that include Malta in their itineraries as well as increased the number of nights spent in Malta on these programs. This travel industry push, combined with targeting the US media by promoting Malta in all its diversity, has already yielded excellent results. During the period January to October 2015, the American market registered the highest percentage increase of 16.3% in inbound tourists over the same period last year, as well as a 19.8% increase in number of bed nights in the same period.

The sunny islands of Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, are home to a most remarkable concentration of intact built heritage, including the highest density of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in any nation-state anywhere. Valletta built by the proud Knights of St. John is one of the UNESCO sights and the European Capital of Culture for 2018. Malta’s patrimony in stone ranges from the oldest free-standing stone architecture in the world, to one of the British Empire’s most formidable defensive systems, and includes a rich mix of domestic, religious and military architecture from the ancient, medieval and early modern periods. With superbly sunny weather, attractive beaches, a thriving nightlife and 7,000 years of intriguing history, there is a great deal to see and do.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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