Today we visited the Embassy Hotel in our Capital City Valletta. This project should reach completion in December 2020 and will host the largest amount of bedrooms within the city walls.

The hotel will comprise of 81 spacious deluxe and superior rooms with various meeting facilities, wellness and fitness areas complimented by an amazing 7th floor heated infinity pool overlooking Manoel Island and Marsamxett Harbour.

Bursting with design and great potential, The Embassy will definitely be buzzing with guests in the very near future!

Oh and they have a fabulous Go Green scheme going on for every bedroom booked, a little chip goes towards making the City greener! Well done on this initiative!

Carried out in collaboration with the NGO Din l-Art Helwa, and funded by EU Funds and co-financed by the Malta Tourism Authority, Mellieha’s Iconic St.Agatha Tower, more commonly knows as The Red Tower, was reopened this week after extensive restoration on both its exterior and its interior.

This €306,000 restoration project is known as the Northern Coastal Watch and includes two other towers, one in Comino and one in Dwejra, Gozo, with a total investment of around 1 Million Euro.

The St Agatha Tower was built in 1649 by Grandmaster Lascaris of the Order of the Knights of St John, and is one of many defense towers which were built all over Malta and Gozo, hence its strategic position overlooking nearly all of Malta and Gozo. The Tower, which came to be known as The Red Tower, is under the remit of the NGO Din l-Art Helwa as from 1998.

Minister for Tourism, Julia Farrugia Portelli, speaking at the inauguration yesterday said that it is of great satisfaction that one of Malta’s Gems, which usually attracts some 30,000 tourists, has now been restored and conserved. She said that this project is part of the Government’s strategy, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to seize the opportunity, and enhance Malta’s Touristic and Cultural Heritage, through various restoration projects which are being carried out by the Malta Tourism Authority.

Find the full article here: https://bay.com.mt/watch-melliehas-iconic-red-tower-opens-after-major-restoration-project/

Nine Heritage Malta attractions have received the 2020 Travellers’ Choice Award from Tripadvisor in recognition of their outstanding service and quality. The results of this coveted award programme were based on the quality and quantity of the millions of reviews, opinions and ratings collected on Tripadvisor in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Heritage Malta attractions which have received this prestigious award are the megalithic temples of Ħaġar Qim and Ġgantija, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, St Paul’s Catacombs, Fort St Angelo and Fort St Elmo (including the National War Museum), the National Museum of Archaeology, the Palace Armoury and Ta’ Kola Windmill.

These awards form part of the ongoing effort of Tripadvisor, which is the world’s largest travel platform, to support the recovery of the tourism and hospitality industry following the difficulties experienced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Tripadvisor’s view, through this programme, travellers can benefit from the real-life experiences of other people so that they can plan their perfect trip which meets their needs, budget and style. Winners of the Travellers’ Choice Awards consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of the sites on Tripadvisor.

“When considering how tough this year has been to our industry, such news encourages us to strive harder in order to keep ensuring the best service to our visitors. We’re passionate about our cultural heritage and these awards reflect our aim to excel in what we do,” said Heritage Malta CEO, Noel Zammit.

Find the full article here: https://bay.com.mt/wowzers-9-heritage-malta-attractions-receive-the-2020-tripadvisor-travellers-choice-award/

We are pleased to share the exciting news that the Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa will be reopening today,
the 1st of September. With this, we would like to update you on the steps they have taken in order to meet the new health and safety challenges presented by COVID-19.
As part of our housekeeping operations, they have a comprehensive set of cleaning protocols that are
designed to address a broad spectrum of viruses, including COVID-19, and include everything from
hand washing hygiene and cleaning product specifications, to guest room and common area cleaning
procedures.

Below are some of the measures they have in place:

• Implemented guidelines on chemicals and equipment to be used that are effective against
  viruses.
• Increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfection at high-volume areas and regularly
  touched surfaces. These include the counter at front desk, elevators, public bathrooms and
  room keys.
• Cleaning and disinfecting protocols are in place to sanitize rooms after guests depart and
  before next guest arrives.
• Increased frequency of cleaning in the ‘Back of House’, where hotel employees work behind
  the scenes.
• Increased associate health, safety and knowledge efforts, including hand hygiene protocols
  and specific COVID-19 related trainings.
• Introduced measures to minimize contact and reinforce social distancing.

Marriot Malta recognise that the COVID-19 virus has required all of us to be more thoughtful as we go about our daily activities. The staff would like to assure all it’s guests, that providing a safe and clean environment at the hotel, is their utmost priority.

Well done Marriot Malta, we look forward to working with you again soon!

The Regatta is a Traditional Rowing Event that has been held in Malta since the middle ages. The first professional Rowing Challenge started in 1955.

The traditional Regatta races are national events held twice yearly, that on the 31st of March on Freedom Day to commemorate the withdrawal of the British troops and the Royal Navy from Malta in 1979, and 8th September known as Victory Day. The latter has several roots as it marks the end of the Great Siege of Malta in 1565 and the end of French occupation on Malta in 1800, as well as the armistice of the Fascist regime in Italy in 1943, which saw the close of the Italian bombardment of the Maltese Islands.

The programme offers four to five hours of spectacle, with the best crews forming part of the rowing teams from the cities bordering the Grand Harbour. Cospicua, Kalkara, Marsa, Marsamxett (Valletta), Senglea, Vittoriosa and also Birzebbuga, participate in 10 races under two different categories using typical traditional Maltese boats like the ‘frejgatini’, ‘kajjikki’ and ‘dghajjes tal-pass and tal-midalji’. These boats were traditionally normal working watercraft which plied the local harbour.
Over the years these boats have evolved into racing craft with certain modifications. These are also examined and weighed before the start of and end of the races. The first three placings in each race are awarded a number of points and at the end of the Regatta, the club with the highest number of points, in the respective categories, is presented with the Aggregrate Shield.

In the past small flags in different colours were tied to the forestems of racing boats for purposes of recognition. The colours were allotted by the Collector of Customs. Colours have changed considerably over the years. Today the clubs can be recognised by their traditional colours which include Birzebbuga (Red-White-Blue), Cospicua (Light Blue), Kalkara (Green), Marsa (Red-Blue), Marsamxett (Valletta) (Yellow), Senglea (Red-Yellow), and Vittoriosa (Red).

The 1,040 metre race course is set up in the Valletta Grand Harbour where the magnificent Fort St Angelo provides an imposing backdrop to the sleek and colourful Maltese boats. A good crowd of spectators and supporters converge along the waterfront and the surrounding bastions to watch the races, which is sure to be a colourful and spectacular event worth watching. The races can be viewed from the water edge of the three cities (Birgu, Cospicua, and Senglea) or Valletta.

On Friday 7th August, the International Fireworks Festival will be coming to a close, displaying its grand finale of this year’s event. If you’re thinking of heading down to the Grand Harbour to watch the beautiful display, we’ve got the perfect idea. You can thank us later.

Heritage Malta is inviting the public to watch this spectacular fireworks fest from the glorious and extensive bastions of Fort St Angelo. Can you imagine the view? And there’s a bonus involved! This is the perfect opportunity to explore this historical landmark in Birgu.

Admission prices are at just €3; children under 11 years of age enter for free. Tickets will be available at the door, but it is important to note that for this event, the Heritage Malta students and seniors’ passports won’t be accepted.

Now that the days have gotten longer and the temperature has skyrocketed, the island has also become more and more alive. We can easily say that summer in Malta is one of the island’s main attractions!

Here are the top things to look forward to in summer in Malta!

LONGER DAYS TO ENJOY THE SUNSHINE

Summer days are longer which means that there is more sunshine to enjoy your day. Whether you’re going to the beach or you’re planning a fun day out to explore the island, you can count on daylight till around 8.30 pm.

DISCOVER ALL OF MALTA’S BEACHES

Whether you prefer rocky or sandy beaches, one of Malta’s highlights is the great opportunity of having the beach in close vicinity to everywhere!

WATCH THE SUNSET

Sunsets in Malta are glorious. If you’re spending a day by the beach, you can simply settle down with a beer or a bottle of wine and witness the island’s beauty as the sun goes down. Top sunset locations include Dingli Cliffs and the Mellieha area.

GO TO A FESTA CELEBRATION

There’s almost a festa celebration happening every summer weekend in Malta. Enjoy the perfect summer night with a fireworks display, celebratory bands and food from local food trucks. It’s the ultimate summer night on the island!

FESTIVALS AND CONCERTS ON THE ISLAND

Summer in Malta is jam-packed with various activities, especially when it comes to festivals and concerts. Popular festivals include The Isle of MTV, the Farsons Beer Festival, the Malta Jazz Festival, and many others. Make sure that you pencil in all the dates so you won’t miss a thing!

ENJOY DINNER BY THE SEA

Malta boasts a multitude of fantastic dining locations with an array of cuisines whilst you enjoy a breezy evening in Malta

DIVE INTO THE BIG BLUE

The Maltese Islands’ clear blue Mediterranean sea is ideal for scuba diving. All three Islands offer some unique diving experiences with an abundance of reefs, caves and wrecks that make diving here some of the most interesting in the Mediterranean.

KAYAKING THE HIDDEN COVES

Enjoy the hidden spots and the island’s coast whilst exercising and enjoying the sea.

The celebrated Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja revealed the exciting news that the annual summer concert is going to take place on September 4th. Referencing the local situation when it comes to COVID-19, the tenor assured that all the appropriate measures will be taken, and that the concert will be taking place outside in the open-air. The tenor did not divulge who his guests will be, but mentioned that the information will be shared soon.

Most hoteliers that participated in a survey put out by Deloitte believe that Malta and the rest of the world will achieve tourism normality by 2023.

A significant portion of hoteliers (17%) predict that pre-COVID-19 business levels will be achieved in 2024 or later.

In a bid to better identify what the post-COVID-19 tourism recovery process might look like, Deloitte looked into how the tourism industry was affected by major global events in the past.

• The 2003 SARS epidemic saw a 15% decline in tourism. Although this is a relatively minor decline when compared to the COVID-19 pandemic, it still took around five months for the tourism industry to recover.
• The 9/11 attacks saw a global drop of 15% in tourism. Following this event, normality in this sector was achieved after around 12 months. Due to the fact that this particular event was directly associated with travel, recovery time was longer. The aftermath of such attacks also stand to show how anxiety and fear of travel play a key factor in determining how long tourism will take to recover.
• The 2010 Global Economy Crisis led to a 10% decrease in tourism numbers, and the process of recovery took around 10 months.

These results serve to show that recovery periods in general – but the COVID-19 recovery period in particular – are not fast processes.

Furthermore, travel anxiety tends to slow down the recovery process far more than economic problems; hence why outbreaks and pandemics affect the tourism industry far worse than economic crises.

Find the full article here: https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/travel/most-hoteliers-believe-malta-will-have-achieved-tourism-normality-by-2023/

After over a hundred years of it being missing from Malta, the famous Mattia Preti masterpiece, named Boethius and Philosophy, will be returning to the island. The Maltese Government acquired the 17th century oil on canvas painting for the sum of €1.3 million after it had disappeared mysteriously from the Grandmaster’s Palace at the end of the 19th century. It is believed that the painting was commissioned by Andrea di Giovanni, Knight of the Order of Malta.

It was purchased after it turned up at Sotheby’s Old Masters Auction in New York and will now be added to Malta’s National Collection.

Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government José Herrera, whilst thanking the Board of Governors of the National Development Social Fund and Heritage Malta, stated that this acquisition is proof of government’s commitment to continue to protect and enrich the cultural and artistic heritage of our country.