Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. It’s also one of the leading causes of cancer death in women, with more than 1.3 million new cases diagnosed each year worldwide. Despite all our advances in medicine, there is still no cure for breast cancer.

Today, we took part in the “Wear it Pink Day 2021” in order to support the fighters, admire the survivors, honour the taken and never give up hope. We were kindly hosted by the Hyatt Regency for a lavish lunch at Seed, overlooking the historical Augustinian priory. Join us today by wearing pink, buying a pink item or donating today!

In this digital age, many children miss out on the simple joys of flying a kite. It’s like having a little bit of happiness on the end of a string, perhaps the ultimate carefree pastime…

Gozo’s skies were set alight with stunning colours thanks to a spectacular edition of the international kite festival in the San Dimitri area in Għarb.

The fourth edition of the festival, which took place over the weekend, was the perfect occasion bringing families, residents and tourists together to see different coloured kites decorate the sky.

The festival was filled with kites far from the normal traditional diamond shape and it included various types of kites, ranging from the shape of a horse, clown, rose, witches to even small cute shaped fish.

Some kites were simple, with single strings, while others were a bit more complicated to fly, with two strings.

Tourists from Austria, Italy, Switzerland and other countries were quick to express how inclusive they felt the festival was.

The festival came to a close Sunday night with a huge magnificent bonfire and fireworks, the perfect way to end festivities.

The Xara Collection and Bajja Investments, owners of Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa, are delighted to announce an agreement between them which will see The Xara Collection operate and manage the iconic building, “The Villa”, St Julian’s.

The Villa is one of the oldest remaining structures within the area dating back to the 19th century offering unparalleled views of Balluta Bay and its historical surroundings, set alongside the seafront promenade.

The Xara Collection manages The Xara Palace – Relais & Chateaux, the One Michelin star restaurant de Mondion, the Trattoria AD1530, the Medina restaurant and The Xara Lodge, as well as being one of the exclusive caterers at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.

Justin Zammit Tabona, Managing Director of The Xara Collection said that “This agreement brings the Xara Collection to the heart of Malta’s prime location for local and international visitors within such a wonderful venue. After these two challenging years due to the pandemic, The Xara Collection looks ahead to the future with confidence. The strong family and team spirit that has characterized Xara’s growth over the last twenty years is the basis of our future.

Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa general manager Alex Incorvaja states “that following an extensive 15-month, €30M renovation program and repositioning the property as one of the leading 5 star hotels on the Islands, we are thrilled to be working with The Xara Collection, a name synonymous with excellence in quality and innovative gastronomy. This will take the well-established Villa to new heights, giving Malta Marriott guests an exceptional dining experience”.

Over the next few months The Xara Collection team will carry out an upgrade to The Villa’s internal and external decor and will open its doors to the public early next year with a new enticing concept.

Over the past 5 weeks, we at Colours of Malta, have hosted 6 groups with a total of 500 people coming from Italy, France, Germany and the UK. Each of our groups stayed at 4 and 5 star hotels and had some great incentive programmes planned out whilst enjoying the warm weather.

It’s been so exciting to see that the Beauty, Finance and Hospitality industries, to mention a few, are back on track, fully energised and investing in their business and employees again.

Learn more about our events on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/coloursofmalta

Manchester United Ambassadors Bryan Robson and Denis Irwin flew to Malta this Summer to see for themselves just what the Maltese Islands have to offer, and why there is always more to explore.

What started off as a normal trip turned into quite an adventure as the two legends were challenged to tasks set by Manchester United players: Paul Pogba, Brandon Williams and Lee Grant.

In the first episode, we see the legends try their luck at water sports in Comino, before further episodes in the four-part series sees them trying their hand at glass-blowing in Mdina, and cooking at the Maritime Museum, but not before checking out some sights in Valletta, stopping for a quick Maltese delicacy, and even exploring the Malta National Aquarium.

“I think Malta is great! Every time I come here, I am amazed by the hospitality of the people, the great sights and the good food,” Bryan Robson said, with Denis Irwin adding that “it feels so special to know that Malta and Manchester United have a history that goes back decades, which can only go from strength to strength, and which can only mean that we get to have the opportunity to always have a reason to be among our Maltese friends, who are practically our extended family.”

There can only be one winner in the end, and Gozo was the perfect backdrop for the announcement by Hon Clayton Bartolo, Minister for Tourism.

“Our official destination partnership between VisitMalta and worldwide football brand Manchester United enables us to expose Malta’s long successful story in hospitality. The arrival of two club legends like Denis Irwin and Bryan Robson is another step forward to showcase the Maltese Islands around the globe,” remarked Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection Clayton Bartolo.

“It was a pleasure for VisitMalta to host Bryan and Denis during their stay in Malta, as part of the official destination partnership which we have with Manchester United. This partnership is of high importance to the Malta Tourism Authority, and to the VisitMalta Brand, which has the United Kingdom as one of its strongest markets, and which, is being seen across the worldwide fanbase of Manchester United, beyond European borders, as far as Asia,” Dr Gavin Gulia, Chairman of the MTA said.

Article credits: https://www.mta.com.mt/en/news-details/323

Malta Tourism Authority welcomes the great news that the Malta International Airport welcomed a total of 418,473 passengers in September, which also marked the first time, since 1999, that September outpaced August in terms of passenger traffic, and the strongest month, in terms of passenger volumes, since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Seat-occupancy levels also remained below pre-pandemic levels, as airlines carried passengers to and from the airport at an average seat load factor of just over 70%.

“The recent news published by the Malta International Airport is truly encouraging for the local tourism sector. Notwithstanding the challenging times, Malta managed to strike a balance between the lives and livelihoods of the Maltese people. We will continue working hard to assure that the hospitality industry continues to recover and assure that Malta becomes a home of tourism excellence for the years to come,” remarked Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection Clayton Bartolo.

“This is great news for Malta, especially given the circumstances which we all have had to live with in the past months, and naturally, it fills us, as an Authority, with a strong sense of positivity, coupled with the right amount of energy, to look forward to ending 2021 and starting 2022 with further positive results. I believe that our marketing efforts, together with the €20m-strong Tourism Recovery Plan which we have laid out together with the Ministry for Tourism and Consumer Protection, as well as, the excellent way in which the Health Authorities have handled, and are still handling the pandemic, all played a crucial role in the positive results which we have seen for September. This is also another example of just how important it is for all stakeholders to work together for the greater good, when faced with such an unprecedented crisis,” MTA CEO Johann Buttigieg said.

Malta International Airport also reported that the United Kingdom retained its spot as the top driver of passenger traffic as it continues its path of recovery, with over 108,000 passengers departing or arriving from this destination in September, followed by the Italian, German, French and Spanish markets.

“A word of thanks must go to our marketing teams at Head Office, and our teams across Europe and the world for being resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, working closely with the management, as one big team, and adapting to the ever-changing situation of the pandemic across various countries and regions. We have used the pandemic to reinvent our marketing strategy, investing in digital media campaigns, to make people feel close to the Maltese Islands, even during the strictest of lockdowns. This has paid off, and is paying off, with the encouraging results which we are seeing. I am sure that with regards to the UK market, we will continue to see further improvement, especially with restrictions being eased further in the UK,” MTA Deputy CEO and Chief Marketing Officer, Carlo Micallef added.

Article credits: https://www.mta.com.mt/en/news-details/327

The Malta Tourism Authority has once again been awarded the ‘Tourist Board of the Year’ Award at the prestigious Travel Industry Awards 2021 by TTG held in London. This is the fourth time that this prestigious award was won by the MTA after successfully clinching the trophy in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021.

The Travel Industry Awards by TTG, in association with Virgin Atlantic, brought the travel community together to celebrate the businesses that have grown stronger through the Covid-19 crisis, and helped to highlight the most trusted travel brands for consumers.

In a year of setbacks and challenges for travel, companies and individuals have been tested to their limits. Yet rather than lose heart, they have faced the pandemic and fought back, supporting their customers, and proving their steadfastness, adaptability and innovative thinking.

“I am so pleased that MTA UK & Ireland were named Tourist Board of the Year 2021 at the TTG Travel Industry Awards this week. The team have worked hard with our trade partners and travel agents throughout the past 18 months to train them up on Malta, Gozo and Comino and what we have to offer their clients. Our work with our trade partners despite the difficult situation was ongoing, robust and agile and the team have overcome many hurdles to ensure our relationships stay strong and have endured the hard times. I could not be prouder that their hard work has been recognised and want to thank them for their ongoing dedication to promoting our beautiful islands,” Tolene Van Der Merwe, Director of the MTA UK Office stated.

“Having the Malta Tourism Authority receiving such an important award is of sterling news for the hospitality industry. Considering the challenges of kickstarting a tourism industry that was hit by the worst crisis in history, it can be said that tourism traffic to the Maltese Islands progressively improved week after week and numbers are growing still even though the traditional peak of summer has now passed. In the light of this encouraging results, I would like to congratulate MTA’s Director in the UK and her hardworking team for doing their part in strengthening Malta’s touristic prospects in the UK market. The perseverance and commitment displayed in the past months is a pure showcase of how the Malta Tourism Authority is turning challenges into new opportunities for the years to come,” remarked Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection Clayton Bartolo.

“We are extremely proud of the UK market team in London and in Malta who have once again proven to share the same resilience, determination and work ethic which has become somewhat synonymous with the Maltese people, even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two teams have worked hard to keep Malta and Gozo on top of mind with the UK trade and public throughout the pandemic to make the recovery phase as fast as possible. It is these qualities that have made our UK office shine through once again during this year’s Travel Industry Awards. We look forward to continuing our work in the United Kingdom, which is Malta’s biggest market after the positive start that we have had, despite all the challenges,” Carlo Micallef, Deputy CEO and Chief Marketing Officer of the MTA stated.

Article credits: https://www.mta.com.mt/en/news-details/325

Interview in Italian with Alessia di Raimondi (Humans of MICE) and Davide Cachia (Owner & Managing Director, Colours of Malta). The interview included the following questions:

Events are finally back and we’re currently attending the m&i Europe Autumn Forum in Šibenik, Croatia!

For more than 15 years, m&i has been moving, shaking and innovating within the MICE industry. The global networking events they create are designed to be a welcome break from the traditional industry tradeshow, with a firm focus on building lasting business relationships as well as unforgettable memories.

Find out more here: https://www.mi-forums.com/mi-europe-autumn