MHRA, VISET formalise collaboration

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and VISET, developers and operators of the Valletta Waterfront and the Cruise Passenger Terminal, have formalised a collaboration agreement.

Speaking at the signing, MHRA president Josef Formosa Gauci said the collaboration between VISET and the other MHRA partners can only strengthen the direction that tourism must take for the islands' success in this hugely competitive global sector. Cruise business is an important niche market for the Maltese Islands, and, coupled with the hospitality sector, it has huge potential in boosting the country's economy.

VISET chairman Joseph Zammit Tabona and general manager Christopher Paris pointed out that the potential contribution of the cruise industry to Malta's economy is much wider than many people appreciate.

Recent releases show a contribution to Malta's GDP by the cruise industry of around €93 million. However, this is only part of the picture.

The Malta Tourism Authority spends millions in advertising Malta as a holiday destination. With the cruise industry, Malta has a captive audience of around half a million day visitors, who have paid their way and are, in a very short time, exposed to the different facets of 'Product Malta'. This is an excellent opportunity to promote Malta to these passengers to encourage them to come back on a longer holiday, and for these passengers to recommend Malta to their family and friends.

VISET's corporate partnership with MHRA is testimony to the interdependencies and synergies between cruising and tourism, a relationship that goes beyond cruising as a sub-product of tourism. The two industries share critical success factors, like aggressive destination marketing and air links, and also challenges to their respective long-term sustainability such as improvement to infrastructure and changes in various outdated practices.