There is a competitive nature that courses through Malta so raw and unbridled that it’s written into the skyline of its capital, Valletta, and permeates across all walks of life on the archipelago.

We’re talking about pika – a Maltese word that roughly means ‘a neighbourly rivalry’, but is one of those terms that feels like a fool’s errand when foreigners try to interpret it. Usually, this rivalry involves followers of different saints within the same town – and ranges from benign sportsmanship to premeditated aggression.

Every year, Malta’s festa season, when villages celebrate their patron saints by throwing big feasts, peaks between June and September. At this time, pika summons the islands’ hot-blooded Mediterranean spirit to the fore, as parishes compete in a paradoxically sacrilegious celebration of the sacred. Rivalries have become so intense that festas have had to be partially cancelled, the most recent in 2004, due to the threat of violence.

Year after year, followers of respective patron saints attempt to outspend and outdo their neighbouring parish in a contentious crusade for showmanship that seems truly fit for the descendants of the Knights Hospitaller, the medieval sect of Catholic warriors from Jerusalem that ruled Malta for about 300 years from 1530. To this day, Maltese festa pageantry, artefacts and ornaments take cues from the Baroque style that defined the 17th- and 18th-Century architecture of the Order of St John, such as the hand-held carriage that transports the statue of the saint to the festa’s main stage, and the hand-carved wooden centrepiece for the Sunday feast. In recent years, festas have included competing theatre companies and a new record for hoisting 711 flags in a village.

Band clubs in Malta are also the epicentre of the most competitive forms of pika. Band clubs are volunteer organisations that are found throughout islands. As their name suggests, they are gathering halls for marching bands – a legacy of British military bands – but they’re also social clubs, equipped with bars, pool halls and even a radio station, as well as informal religious links to the church with their own chaplain and chapel.

The size of Malta, the EU’s smallest nation with a population of around 430,000, may offer the best clue as to why rivalries here are so intense.

Read the full article: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190107-why-are-the-maltese-so-competitive

Boasting one of the world’s highest vaccination rates, Malta is now welcoming back visitors safely with cash incentives and a recently launched Nomad Residence Permit.

Malta may be small but its response to the pandemic has been mighty. Once enforcing some of the strictest restrictions in Europe, the country has finally been able to open its borders and welcome back visitors safely, boasting one of the world’s highest vaccination rates.

Nearly 81% of all Malta residents are fully vaccinated. In fact, Malta and Portugal are the only two nations in Europe that have reached a more than 80% vaccination rate across their total population (including teenagers age 12 to 17, who have been eligible to get the vaccine since summer 2021), according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). This makes them two of the only places likely to avoid a winter resurgence says the ECDC director, and among the safest places to travel. Visitors to Malta must be vaccinated themselves if they want to skip a 14-day quarantine.

The country is more than ready to welcome back vaccinated international visitors – especially those looking to take advantage of their company’s new remote work policies. In June 2021, Malta launched their Nomad Residence Permit, which enables visitors to keep their current employment in another country and live in Malta for up to a year (with the opportunity for renewal). Applicants must prove they can work remotely, work for an employer or offer freelance or consulting services and earn at least the equivalent of €2,700 monthly.

The Nomad Residence Permit enables holders to retain their current employment based in another country whilst legally residing in Malta. The Permit is open to individuals who can work remotely and independent of location, using telecommunications technologies.

Malta already hosts and welcomes digital nomads from the EU. This community of entrepreneurial expats make the most of Malta’s island vibes, a nomad lifestyle, business networking opportunities and cultural experiences. The Nomad Residence Permit is open to individuals from third countries, who would normally (but not necessarily) require a Visa to travel to Malta.

The permit will be issued for one year and can be renewed upon application at the discretion of Residency Malta, as long as the applicant still meets the set eligibility criteria. Applicants who are interested in staying for less than a year will be issued with a National Visa for the duration of their stay.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20211109-malta-the-island-welcoming-digital-nomads

During the past months, as tourism travel restrictions started to be lifted, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Malta Tourism Authority recognized the need to embark on a coordinated effort to ensure that the Maltese hospitality sector is viewed as adequately safe and prepared to welcome and service the most discerning tourists. Towards this end, a team of experts facilitated by the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation developed the STAR Journey initiative, a comprehensive quality programme which aims to set Malta as an In-Partnership Forbes Travel Guide Destination with a focus on Service Excellence and Safety – a first in the world.

Read the full article: https://winning.training/star-journey

Malta has once again made international headlines, and this time, its due to it being one of the safest places in Europe to visit during the winter as another COVID-19 wave surges. According to international newsroom ‘The Telegraph’, our island joins Portugal in being the safest places in Europe for the upcoming winter, with expert leading disease monitoring across the continent. A new wave of infections is sweeping Western Europe and the UK, but Malta and Portugal will be avoiding the spike due to the high rate of vaccination.

Dr. Bruno Ciancio, director of surveillance at the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC), said in a Telegraph interview that there are three epidemiological trends emerging across Europe, dictating how countries will fare this winter.

He highlighted how the critical factor in all this is vaccination, saying that the pandemic will be driven more and more by those who did not receive their jab. He said the countries most likely to avoid a substantial resurgence are Malta and Portugal as they have fully immunized more than 80% of their total population. Most other countries, like the UK, fall into a second tier where overall vaccination rates are around 60 to 80%.

Article credits: https://maltadaily.mt/malta-headlines-as-one-of-the-covid-safest-winter-countries/

While on an incentive trip to Malta, international skincare and beauty products company JAFRA Cosmetics chose a Ħamrun school to donate and plant 100 indigenous trees and shrubs propagated from local seeds, as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility strategy.

The tree-planting activity took place at the Guardian Angel Secondary Education Resource Centre on October 15.

During her speech, head of school Darlene Borg said that “these new shrubs and trees will be an asset for the school, whose environment is unique compared to the mainstream ones”.

The school, which forms part of St Ġorġ Preca College, hosts about 80 students with severe learning difficulties. Borg also mentioned that “apart from the environmental benefits, engaging in such social experiences is highly beneficial for the students, who are able to spend time with people outside of the school organisation”.

At the end of the activity, the students presented a commemorative plaque to JAFRA’s general director and the director of sales, together with clay tokens handmade by the students themselves, to every participant.

JAFRA was hosted by Colours of Malta, a local destination management company, while the coordination of the rural CSR activity was entrusted to social enterprise Merill Rural Network.

NGOs ACT and MaYA Foundation offered their expertise throughout the event.

Article credits: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/jafra-donates-100-trees-shrubs-to-hamrun-school.909898?fbclid=IwAR3F3vv98-dl-d6dqw3oTeDdKiNq3Cwpd6S3NMQM8MgzZ-TK-nWrFVAcRlQ

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