Fund to boost tourism advertising after transport strike

Malta International Airport and the Malta Tourism Authority have set up an emergency fund to boost advertising in the UK and other main tourist source markets in the wake of last week's transport strike.

The setting up of the fund was announced during a tour of the recently extended airport terminal building by the Prime Minister.

Air Malta reported last week that bookings on its internet site dropped by almost half during the strike.

During one day last week, at the height of the strike,15,400 passengers passed through the airport, a July one day record.

Emergency transport was laid on by the MIA, the MTA, hoteliers and the Secretariat for Tourism, while the police prevented airport roads from being blocked for any length of time.

During his tour, Dr Gonzi and Dr Mario de Marco, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, were shown around the facilities by MIA Chief Executive Julian Jaeger, who underlined the company’s marketing efforts to attract new airlines and to increase new routes to Malta.

Dr Gonzi expressed his satisfaction at what he described as "an excellent example of privatisation whereby foreign investment together with public shareholding show tangible proof of confidence in Maltese manpower and entrepreneurship."

He thanked MIA employees who pooled their efforts in order to minimise inconvenience to incoming and departing passengers during the transport strike.

Dr de Marco in remarks to the media referred to the works carried out at MIA as "the results that emerge from the streamlined teamwork of all the stakeholders particularly the close cooperation that exists between Malta International Airport and Malta Tourism Authority."