Malta chosen as home port

TUI Cruises and Viset terminal operators yesterday sealed a deal under which Valletta Waterfront will become the Mediterranean port of departure for the cruise liner Mein Schiff in 2011.

From May to November next year, the group's seven-day Mediterranean cruises will start and finish in Valletta.

On its "butterfly cruise schedule", the Mein Schiff will also call at ports from Piraeus in Athens to Ajaccio in Corsica.

Tourism Secretary Mario de Marco said: "TUI Cruises' choice in favour of Valletta as the home port for the Mein Schiff is gratifying but at the same time represents a commitment for us. We will continue with our endeavours to further expand Valetta and consequently Malta as a competitive cruise ship destination and a convenient base for home porting, given its strategic location."

Richard Vogel, chief executive of TUI Cruises, said his company was "extremely satisfied" with this choice of port. All local stakeholders had pulled together, making it easier for the company to choose Valletta.

Viset, which operates the Valletta Waterfront, expressed its satisfaction with the deal. The company's chairman, Anton Micallef said it was committed to delivering the highest standards of service to ensure that TUI's decision was a success for everyone involved.

Meanwhile, Dr de Marco this week met the secretary general of the UN's World Tourism Organisation, Taleb Rifai at the organisation's headquarters in Madrid.

They discussed the prospects of recovery for the world tourism industry and various initiatives taken by the government to counter the challenges to local tourism brought on by the global economic recession.