Tourism head unhappy with branding debut

The new chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority, Sam Mifsud, believes the first stage of the Brand Malta campaign designed to boost tourism is a "relative failure".

In a draft letter that has been leaked to The Times, Mr Mifsud proposed withholding €15,000 from the next 30-day contract of the MTA's international brand consultant Christian Sinding, as a "sort of penalty" for the campaign's false start. Under the current agreement the MTA engages Mr Sinding's services at a rate of €30,000 per month, renewable every month.

"In this way, it is felt that you would be accepting partial responsibility for the campaign's dismal result," the letter says.

The letter to Mr Sinding was eventually not sent. It was discussed by the MTA board but they decided instead to have a face-to-face meeting with him, which has still to take place.

"Actually that figure (“15,000) was my idea," Mr Mifsud said when asked yesterday whether the MTA would still push for that sort of penalty. "The board has decided to meet with Mr Sinding face to face to negotiate an agreement on this issue."

Mr Sinding sounded shocked when contacted: "I find it very serious that you are speaking to me about a letter addressed to me which I have never received," he said.

The letter referred to his public admissions about the campaign. In an interview with The Times last month he had said: "We might have used language that wasn't accessible to everybody. In hindsight, it might have been a better idea to talk about the core values."

A campaign by an international consultant of Mr Sinding's stature should not require "rethinking... in hindsight", Mr Mifsud wrote in his draft letter.

Mr Sinding yesterday rebutted the criticism, saying there were a lot of misconceptions surrounding the issue. The campaign most definitively was not a failure and neither was the Maltese product, he said. "It's the first phase. The results will start being felt in a few years.

"I can understand the Maltese public's apprehension but the criticism is not always justified.

"From a foreigner's point of view Malta has a good product," he insisted.

The Brand Malta campaign has so far been launched locally stressing three messages - heritage, diversity and hospitality - that the authority feels will give the island an edge over other destinations. It includes images, a new brand logo, print advertising, short films and a host of other applications.

So far it has drawn far more public criticism than support.