Malta Tourism Authority, the official tourism body of the Republic of Malta, recently held the ‘Bespoke Malta’ seminar at Shangri La Hotel Dubai for the local travel trade and media.

The seminar saw the presence of over 110 key industry experts and travel professionals from the region, as well as local journalists and influential bloggers. The seminar started with an introductory presentation titled “Malta – the Heart of the Mediterranean”, by Claude Zammit Trevisan, Senior Manager – Destination Marketing, Malta Tourism Authority.

The presentation was followed by a panel discussion “Discovering Malta’s lingering links to the Arab world” which saw the participation of Maria Camilleri Calleja, Maltese Ambassador to the UAE, Sarah Khan, Editor-in-Chief, Condé Nast Traveller Middle East, Luke Azzopardi, Creative Director of Maltese fashion atelier Luke Azzopardi Studio, and Joseph Cassar, Maltese gastronomy expert and lecturer at the Institute of Tourism Studies.

After a networking lunch at Shangri La, the guests were accompanied to the Malta Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, to enjoy an exclusive, private tour of the pavilion and attend the prize give-away of the pre-organized social media campaign that Malta Tourism Authority had organized.

From the February 20 to 25, MTA ran a social media campaign sponsored by Manchester United FC, in co-operation with 3 leading content creators from the UAE. The three influencers; Hind Alraeesi, Khalid Abbasi and The Cuspers, were all given official Manchester United T-shirts signed by 3-star players of the English club, which were then presented as a give-away prize for the Emirati audience on their social media pages.

The three lucky winners were chosen by each influencer based on a random draw, and the signed T-shirts were given away during the ceremony that was held at the Malta Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai.

“The UAE has become an important geographic market for Malta in recent years, with growing relationships between both countries. We were very excited to see the big number of attendees to our seminar, which gives a clear indication of the growing interest and demand for Malta in the region, and we were glad to hear that many industry experts see great potential in Malta throughout the coming period,” said Claude Zammit Trevisan, senior marketing manager for the region.

He added: “We were very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with a group of local content creators to create this exciting social media campaign. Co-operating with the local influencers allows to reach a valuable segment of Emirati travellers which we will not otherwise be able to reach through traditional methods; thus, we are more than happy to develop this relationship further and work towards fruitful goals that satisfy all parties.”

MTA is placing more emphasis on the promotion of luxury travel to Malta from the GCC, particularly through bespoke travel experiences with peace of mind and utmost flexibility for the client to explore the beautiful islands of Malta on their own terms, and to their own schedule.

With its great climate, fascinating history, excellent cuisine and beautiful natural scenery, Malta is an ideal vacation choice for travellers at any time of the year, said an MTA statement. – TradeArabia News Service