MTA Annual Conference 2002 - A focus on MTA’s achievements

The performance of the Malta Tourism Authority during the last three years will be under the spotlight as the MTA calls its fourth Annual Conference since it was set up in September 1999.

The theme of the conference, which will be held on 21 November 2002 at the San Gorg Corinthia Hotel, is "3 years of achievements: a review of the MTA’s performance". Commenting on the significance of the theme chosen for this year’s event, MTA Chairman Dr Grech said that during these last three years the MTA "has been involved in a process oriented towards building a new organisation on solid foundations, addressing the wide remit it has been entrusted with, whilst at the same time pursuing aggressively the repositioning of Malta on the international market".

"This process", he explained, "was encapsulated in the Authority’s first strategic plan, which took the MTA through its first two years of its existence. Earlier on this year, we launched our second plan, a logical consequence of the first document, which sets out our strategic direction for the years 2002-2004".

"In its three years of existence, the MTA has registered an impressive record of achievements and implemented most of the programmes it set out in its plans. We are now in a position to report back to our stakeholders with the results of our endeavours on all fronts, and to discuss these results with all those who have an interest in what we are seeking to accomplish. This will be the focus of this year’s annual conference and the accompanying exhibition which will be held at the same venue".

MTA Chief Executive Mr Leslie Vella said that the conference will serve as a means of briefing industry stakeholders on the myriad initiatives that the MTA has undertaken in various spheres of activity. "The MTA is now a fully functional organisation which has the potential to carry out effectively the wide remit as laid down for it in the Malta Travel and Tourism Services Act". "We believe that we are doing our part in making tourism work for Malta, and we want to share the news of our achievements with those in the private and public sectors, as well as NGOs, who have contributed considerably to make these possible".

The conference will open with an address by the MTA’s Chairman Dr John C. Grech. The Authority’s Chief Executive Leslie Vella will then outline the MTA’s achievements since it was set up. He will be followed by the MTA’s senior manager for strategic planning and research, Ms Marie Louise Mangion, who will talk about the MTA’s performance in the context of the Authority’s strategic planning process. The MTA’s directors will deliver presentations detailing their activities in the fields of product planning and development, enforcement, human resources and support services, the Internet as well as marketing and promotion respectively. The afternoon session will be devoted to a discussion on the theme of the conference and the morning’s presentations. Minister for Tourism Dr Michael Refalo will deliver the closing address.

An added feature of this year’s conference will be the presence of booths that will host representatives of the MTA’s overseas network. These will be available to discuss with delegates at the conference aspects of the Authority’s work in the various source markets and to answer any queries they might have on market conditions, possibilities for cooperation and other issues related to specific markets.