Malta Tourism Executive elected: Vice President of the European Travel Commission

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r. Leslie Vella, Chief Officer Strategic Development & Deputy CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, was elected Vice President of the European Travel Commission.

r. Leslie Vella, Chief Officer Strategic Development & Deputy CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, was elected Vice President of the European Travel Commission. The election took place during the ETC General Meeting held in Cyprus earlier this month. Mr Vella obtained votes from 19 out of 23 member countries present and was elected to the post for a three-year term.

The European Travel Commission (ETC) is the non-profit organization responsible for the promotion of Europe as a tourist destination. The member National Tourism Organizations within ETC work together to build the value of tourism to all the beautiful and diverse countries of Europe through, in particular, cooperating in areas of sharing best practices, market intelligence and promotion.


ETC has three Vice Presidents, each of whom is responsible for an area of competence or advocacy. Mr Vella has taken on the Connectivity advocacy, and is tasked with finding ways of improving airline connections to Europe from long haul markets such as the Americas, Asia and Australia.

MTA CEO Mr Paul Bugeja commented โ€œWe congratulate Leslie on his appointment within ETC, which is a testimony to the high regard that he enjoys in this prestigious organization. We wish him continued success and we are certain that both MTA and Malta have much to gain from his new post, particularly since he will be focusing on connectivity which is fundamentally important for Malta as a destination. โ€

Mr Vella has been representing Malta at the ETC for over 20 years and served as Chairman of the Commissionโ€™s Market Intelligence Group between 1997 and 2014.
About Malta

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. =

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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