Isle of MTV concert to return on June 30

The highly popular Isle of MTV concert will be held again on the granaries in Floriana on June 30, the Malta Tourism Authority announced this afternoon.

The announcement was made when the MTA renewed its partnership with MTV Network for a fifth year.

The line-up of this year's concert is expected to be known in about two months' time.

Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said the concert was important for the promotion of Malta as a tourist destination for the young. He said that in 2006 - the year before the first concert was held - 151,000 tourists aged under 24 had visited Malta. Last year, there were 269,000 tourists under 24. There had also been a 13% increase in tourists aged between 25 and 44.

The Isle of MTV is the largest free open air concert in Europe. Over the years it has featured Lady Gaga, David Guetta, the Black Eyed Peas, Kid Rock, Maroon 5 and Scissor Sisters, among the top stars.

The show is shown on 20 MTV channels throughout Europe.

Antonio Canto, senior vice president of Viacom Brand Solutions said it was planned that this year's concert would be screened just a few days after the show. Over the past years it was screened in September.

He said that MTV in collaboration with the MTA would also feature a new promotional spot on Malta which was filmed recently.

The MTV concert will be supported by year-round marketing activities.