news

New General Manager on Gozo

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:29:45 +0100

German national Sven Fritzsche appointed to lead

Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz

San Lawrenz, Gozo, 12th April 2012 – A familiar face has been appointed to lead the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz. Effective immediately, Mr. Sven Fritzsche takes over the role of General Manager at the hotel where he returns after 8 years.

The 37 year old German, which has been working for Kempinski Hotels since 1999, was already for two years on the idyllic Mediterranean island - initially as a Front Desk Manager, then as a Front Office Manager. For Mr. Fritzsche it is the second position as a General Manager. At the young age of 35 he became the General Manager at the Kempinski Hotel Khan Palace Ulanbaatar, Mongolia. Where he was responsible until the end of 2011. Now Mr. Fritzsche has taken over the management of the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz on Gozo from Mr. Noel Attard, who has been appointed General Manager in Lithuania and will lead the opening of the Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square in Vilnuis which is planned for the summer 2012.

Mr. Fritzsche started his hotel career with a classic apprenticeship in 1992 in the Hotel Hänslehof in Bad Dürrheim, Germany. After completing this training and the community service he moved to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA. After almost two years in the States, he signed up as Front Office Agent in the Kempinski Hotel Bristol in Berlin - and his career within Kempinski Hotels was under way: Gozo, St. Moritz and the opening of the Kempinski Hotel Wuxi, China, as a Director of Rooms and later as an Executive Assistant Manger where he was stationed before he was appointed to his first General Manager position in Mongolia in the summer 2009.

His career continues with the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz and as Mr. Fritzsche said “When the opportunity was offered to return to the Gozo property as General Manager, I did not hesitate even for one second as the charm and beauty of the island were still very lively in my memories. It is great to return to this little hideaway island and rediscover all its treasures. It is great to see how the hotel evolved in the last eight years and even more exciting that I am able to breath life into the new attractions of the property such as the ‘La Caverna’ wine bar and the extension of the award winning Spa...”.

Concurrent with his duties in the hotels, Mr. Fritzsche participated in the Global Manager Programm of Kempinski and gained the Certificate of Business Administration from the renouned Reims School of Management.

Besides his native language German, he speaks fluent English and has basic knowledge of Russian.

About Kempinski:

Created in 1897, Kempinski Hotels is Europe's oldest luxury hotel group. Kempinski's rich heritage of impeccable personal service and superb hospitality is complemented by the exclusivity and individuality of its properties.

Kempinski now comprises a portfolio of 64 five-star hotels in 28 countries and continues to add new properties in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Each one reflects the strength and success of the Kempinski brand without losing sight of its heritage.

The portfolio comprises historic landmark properties, award-winning urban lifestyle hotels, outstanding resorts, and prestigious residences. Each one imbues the quality guests have come to expect from Kempinski while embracing the cultural traditions of its location.

Kempinski is a founding member of the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA): the world's largest alliance of independent hotels.

For further information please visit www.kempinski.com/gozo or call 22115213

'Celebration' Exhibition

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:45:00 +0100

The BRITISH RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION (GOZO GROUP) in conjunction with the Gozo Culture and Information Office in the Ministry for Gozo and with the assistance of Heritage Malta have arranged a programme of activities to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II and the 70th Anniversaries of the George Cross awarded to Malta and the "Santa Marija" Convoy.

Several Lectures have been arranged with a British theme, on Saturday 14th April an Exhibition will be opened by the Hon. Giovanna Debono, Minister for Gozo, at the Citadella Centre for Culture and Arts, Victoria, Gozo. The exhibition called "CELEBRATION" is of artefacts, memorabilia, photos, and sculptures appertaining to the above 3 anniversaries it will be open to the public from Sunday 15th April until the 20th June. Admission is free.

The Malta Experience Contributes Striking Images to the ‘This is Malta’ National Promotion ...

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:03:25 +0100

The Malta Experience, one of the country’s foremost tourist attractions, has contributed images to the high profile country branding campaign ‘This is Malta’, currently running at the famous department store Harrods in London. The showcase coincides with the 70^th anniversary of the awarding of the George Cross to the Maltese islands for heroism during World War 2, and the images depicting historical and cultural scenes are expected to be seen by 1.2 million Harrods shoppers and countless passers by.

The impressive high resolution images of Malta, many of which feature in the popular audio-visual show, are being used to promote the country as a tourist and investment destination. Featuring images of beaches, churches, ports, temples, theatres and feasts, the photographs taken by the show’s producer, Jon Wrigley, were carefully selected to reflect the diverse aspects of the Maltese islands. Many of the images have been produced in large print format (some exceeding 5 meters in length) and used as part of an impressive window display running along the elegant retail high street of Brompton Road.

Images contributed by The Malta Experience also feature on various digital screens throughout the department store. In addition, in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority, an eight page postcard booklet about the islands has been handed out to shoppers throughout March.

“’This is Malta’ has been a wonderful showcase of what the islands have to offer both tourists and investors,” said The Malta Experience’s General Manager Martin Mercieca, “As one of the island’s foremost tourist attractions, we are delighted to be involved in this spectacular national promotion and to contribute beautiful imagery that reflects Malta’s rich history and culture.”

‘This is Malta’ has been an initiative spearheaded by Malta’s High Commissioner in the UK, Joseph Zammit Tabona, and organised in collaboration with Malta Enterprise, the Malta Tourism Authority and Finance Malta. Inaugurated by Malta’s Prime Minister Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, the promotion has been hailed as one of the most extensive campaigns carried out at Harrods and an overwhelming success in promoting the country’s tourism, infrastructure, workforce and investment opportunities to Malta’s largest foreign market.

ISLE OF MTV 2012 date announced

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:10:03 +0100

At a press conference earlier today, Dr. Mario de Marco, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Environment announced that this year’s edition of the Isle of MTV Malta Special will take place on June 26 at the Granaries in Floriana.

Will.i.am will be one of the stars at this year's Isle of MTV concert. Will.I.Am is the lead singer of Black Eyed Peas and one of the world's most prominent music producers, winner of seven Grammy Awards.

The rest of the line-up will be announced in the coming weeks.

This will be the sixth Isle of MTV concert in Malta.

Tourism Promotion By The Embassy of Malta to Belgium

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:37:52 +0100

The Embassy of Malta to Belgium assisted the ‘Institut Provincial de Nursing du centre de la Louviere’ in organising a Maltese evening at the beginning of February. The evening was held in view of a visit to Malta later on this spring by the Institute. The event was very successful with some 200 persons participating.

The Embassy was also involved in another similar project this time with a school from Brussels. The school will visit Malta in March. Mme. Carla Dejonghe, the Culture Alderman of Woluwe St. Pierre and Member of the Brussels Parliament will be accompanying the students to Malta.

The ‘International Women’s Club ‘of Brussels will also be visiting Malta this spring. The group will be lead by Mrs. Helen Palk, the spouse of H.E. Mr. Richard Palk, the former Australian High Commissioner to Malta and who is currently the Consul General of Australia in Belgium. The group was invited for a little introduction on Malta. The event was held on Friday 24 February 2012 at Dar Malta in Brussels. The Ambassador of Malta Clive Agius addressed the group while the Consul General of Malta Annabelle Shawish Mifsud answered questions from the excited travellers.

Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz celebrates its Open Weekend with the launch of “La Caverna”

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:06:46 +0100

A successful weekend showcasing the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz to all the Maltese and Gozitan patrons took place in the first weekend of February.

The Kempinski Hotel’s management team, thankful to all its patrons, organized an open weekend to celebrate the 10th anniversary from when the Hotel joined the luxurious Kempinski portfolio, where all guests and friends could have a closer look to the hotel and benefit from special offers.

The initiative was a great success, attracting more than 400 guests celebrating such event and making their own Kempinski experience in the hotel’s new La Caverna wine bar, the Ortolan Restaurant, Kempinski The Spa, the Kids Club and special attractions such as kayaking in the outdoor pool, yoga sessions, archery in garden, wine tasting and craft workshops.

This occasion saw the opening of the new wine bar, La Caverna, on the evening of the 3rd February with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Hon. Chris Said, Minister for Justice, Dialogue and the Family Affairs and Mr. Noel Attard, Hotel’s General Manager. The ceremony started with the traditional ribbon cutting and speeches, followed by a wine reception in the new location. The new wine bar in a contemporary design with leather seatings, separate wine rooms for the red and white wines, and the warm feeling that all the wood around gives provided the perfect setting for the evening accompanied throughout the whole night with wines and antipasti. The event successfully rounded up with life music to background the lively conversations and enjoyment of the guests.

La Caverna revolves around the world of wines where our guests can just relax in the cosy surrounding of an Italian style Enoteca sipping through an extensive wine list while enjoying a choice of antipasti.

The ambience is signified by a painting of local artist, Noel Debono, stretching along the wall with harmonious combinations of lively orange and warm brown paints. The fireplace in the corner and the mélange colored soft leather armchairs are a must to try out with a book and a glass of wine in hands or for a nice long talk with friends in a quiet ambience.

The perfectly chilled unique wine library with a room for the red wines and another one for the white wine provided the perfect setting for wines where one can ask for a guided tour explaining origins and stories of the wines.

The name of “La Caverna” reflects the story of “The Cave of the Old Man” dating back to 1583 found in Mgarr ix-Xini in Gozo which established the links of Gozo to a culture and history of wines. For a long time the story was just a century old legend until a couple of years ago where excavations showed many wine and oil presses in the valley, with similar wine presses found in Italy. The ancient presses, of which no less than 15 were found in the excavation area, are very simple to operate and are found all over the Mediterranean. Access to the sea at Mgarr ix-Xini provided the nearest transport to the markets of both Malta and Sicily.

The highlight of Saturday was the five-tier 10^th anniversary cake cutting ceremony hosted by the owning company family, lead by Mrs. Baldacchino and special guest of honour Hon. Giovanna Debono, Minister for Gozo.

MALTA & GOZO DAY BY DAY at the Commonwealth Journalists Association conference.

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:06:16 +0100

MALTA & GOZO DAY BY DAY is the most established what’s on publication giving detailed information about events and attractions taking place every month in Malta & Gozo. Now in its 10^th year of monthly publications, MALTA & GOZO DAY BY DAY is distributed amongst visitors and expatriate residents in Malta and Gozo.

The current edition of the magazine was the official guide to the delegates attending the Commonwealth Journalists Association conference which took place between the 29^th January and 1^st February.

The conference brought together an array of international journalists and Commonwealth experts to Malta and heard presentations from senior members of the Commonwealth Secretariat and Canada's envoy to the Commonwealth, Senator Hugh Segal, on the future of the Commonwealth.

The CJA, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, represents journalists – some of them struggling in hostile or repressive conditions. It offers moral influence in speaking for journalists throughout the Commonwealth and defending their interests. It also offers training courses in basic reporting, environmental journalism, election reporting, and financial analysis.

"A focus of the Malta conference is on the impact of technology," said Bryan Cantley, Executive Director of the CJA.

"What better place to have a discussion along those lines than in one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, Malta.”

The CJA was founded as a non-governmental organization in 1978 following a conference in Halifax, Canada.

Since then it has hosted conferences around the Commonwealth, including in Namibia, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Malaysia.

Picture Caption: (from left) Mr. Bryan Cantley – Executive Director of the CJA, Ms. Patricia Perkel – Assistant to the Executive Director and Chris Grima – Editor of MALTA & GOZO DAY BY DAY.

GRAND CHARITY BALL

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:13:11 +0100

The Military and Hospitaller Order St. Lazarus of Jerusalem, Gozo Commandery are holding a Grand Charity Ball on 2nd June at the Grand Hotel, Mgarr Gozo.

It is an inaugural ball and promises to be a glittering occasion. The first of its kind on Gozo, to include a 5 course dinner, evening dress code, with professional entertainers from both UK and Malta.

All proceeds will be going to support local charities.

For Further Information & Tickets Contact:

Chrissie Scott: chrissiescott@onvol.net Tel (+356) 21550933

MALTA COMES TO HARRODS - LUXURY STORE TO SHOWCASE THE ISLAND’S HIDDEN GEMS

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:30:59 +0100

From the 1st – 28th March, Harrods will be flying the Maltese flag in celebration of the Hidden Gem’s promotion at the world-renowned store, marking Malta’s 70th anniversary as a George Cross Island. An array of stunning displays from Maltese photography and artwork to Mdina blown glass and Maltese antique silver will be exhibited throughout the luxury store to give visitors a taste of the modern and traditional delights of Malta.

The promotion was announced at a press conference today in Malta by the Minister of Finance, the Economy and Investment Tonio Fenech, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Environment, Mario de Marco and Malta’s High Commissioner, Joseph Zammit Tabona.
Minister Fenech explained that the promotion aims to change people’s perception of Malta, beyond exclusively sun and sea and promote it as a luxury weekend destination. At the same time, it will promote Malta’s entrepreneurial and business offering. Remarking that the UK is an important trading partner, such a strong presence will highlight Malta’s efforts at attracting further investment in those sectors in which Malta benefits from a competitive advantage.
Minister Fenech explained that “Malta boasts a highly productive, highly-educated English speaking skilled workforce which knows to adapt itself easily to change. Apart from this main contributor to our wealth, Malta has a proactive business environment, and the legal structure in Malta is based on the civil-law pattern of continental Europe, with an administrative and fiscal legislation based on British laws. The combination of EU and euro area location, relatively competitive costs and high-quality in terms of value added, highly efficient fiscal systems and our advanced telecommunications infrastructure – recently identified by the World Economic Forum as one of the world’s best - also helped Malta to win both investment and international recognition. Through Harrods we’re inviting the large, multinational London community to get to know more about Malta, and be a part in our success.”
Minister Dr Mario de Marco said that the campaign at Harrods is an innovative way of promoting the Maltese Islands. He stated that the government is implementing a tourism strategy that focuses on investment in the tourism product, the improvement in accessibility and the investment in effective promotion. The campaign at Harrods is in itself part of the promotion of the Maltese Islands in the UK but at the same time, it is a means of promoting Malta’s tourism product.
Mario de Marco explained that the UK is the largest tourism market for Malta. He said that it is estimated that in 2011, there were 438,779 tourists from the UK, an increase of 23,589 tourists (+5.7%) over the same period last year and an increase of 7,440 tourists (+1.7%) over 2006*. Mario de Marco said that the success in appealing to the UK market as well as other markets, is the result of investment from the government, MTA and stakeholders in the tourism product, in improved accessibility and in effective promotion.

Malta’s High Commissioner, Joseph Zammit Tabona said “It is such a pleasure to see an idea I have been working hard on since November 2010 finally come to fruition. I have always believed that showcasing Malta at the world-famous Harrods Department Store, is the ultimate in promoting our country in the United Kingdom. Such a unique opportunity provides the perfect platform for international exposure of Malta as a luxury travel destination, whilst highlighting entrepreneurial and business opportunities and further strengthening the bilateral trading partnership between Malta and the UK.”

“Harrods is delighted to be hosting such an inventive, exciting and visually appealing promotion. Being a luxury institution, Harrods is an excellent platform to showcase the diversity of what Malta has to offer to desirable, elite and often hard to reach customers from the UK and beyond”, commented Guy Cheston, Harrods Director of Media Sales.

MALTA PARTICIPATES AT THE DUTCH TOURISM EXPO 2012 IN UTRECHT

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:54:14 +0100

On 10 January 2012, Ambassador Martin Valentino attended the opening ceremony of the Dutch Tourism Expo 2012 held in Utrecht. The 2012 Dutch Tourism Expo is an opportunity for the representatives from the tourism business sector from both the Netherlands and abroad to foster new contacts with tourism business partners and the press. This Expo is considered as one of the world’s major events for the international travel and tourism industry with the participation of some 800 exhibitors. During this event, B2B meetings within the tourism sector were held which are important for keeping abreast of developments within the sector and in promoting the tourism product in each country.

Ambassador Valentino was welcomed at the Malta Tourism Authority stand by Mr. Carlo Micallef, Group Head Marketing Directorate Head Office, MTA and by Ms. Marianne Hoogeveen, MTA Representative, who is based at the MTA Office in Brussels. Ms. Hoogeveen is responsible for the Benelux countries. Ambassador Valentino had the opportunity to discuss matters on cooperation with the Embassy on tourism promotion between Malta and the Netherlands. Ambassador Valentino underlined that there is room for promoting further the Maltese islands with events in the Netherlands that could be sponsored and organized by MTA itself, in collaboration with the Embassy and the private sector.

During 2011 tourist arrivals to Malta from the Netherlands registered a substantial increase over the previous years. In 2010 there were 33,426 persons that travelled from the Netherlands to Malta and between January and November 2011 there were 37,746 with total expenditure reaching €34,357,000 in Jan-Nov 2011 compared to €31,199,000 in 2010. The Embassy of Malta in The Hague is regularly replying to requests for information on Malta, especially by providing tourism promotional material to both Dutch and foreign individuals, companies and associations planning to visit Malta for business and leisure purposes.