Concerted efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Malta Enterprise have yielded the desired results and a record 70 business people representing 60 organisations will board a chartered flight to Warsaw at lunchtime on Sunday. The delegation will accompany President Eddie Fenech Adami on a two-day state visit to Poland.
"The experience gained from organising the most recent business delegations to the Ukraine and Portugal has served us well," Melvyn Mangion, the Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, told The Times Business.
"The ministry has worked intensively to 'sell' this opportunity to the local business community, which in turn, responded remarkably. This is also thanks to the collaboration with Malta Enterprise in the organisation of the visit. The delegates were attracted by the fact that Malta Enterprise will subsidise their travel expenses through a purposely set up fund."
Representatives of a cross-section of Malta's enterprise and the service industry, including several family businesses and small firms, will be travelling to Poland, where Ambassador Gaetan Naudi took up his post as Malta's first resident ambassador last month.
The list includes English-language schools, outgoing travel agents, destination management firms, software and IT solutions companies, contractors, shipping agents, auditors, accountants and tax specialists, engineers, food importers and exporters, agricultural producers, pharmaceuticals, car and marine parts and technology makers, marketing agencies, logistics managers, and even yacht importers.
Air Malta chief executive officer Joe Capello is to hold meetings with tour operators, particularly those already operating charter flights with Polish carriers. Just under 6,000 Polish visitors travelled to Malta last year.
Pre-arranged, one-to-one meetings will be held at the Confederation of Polish Employers on Monday morning, followed by a presentation and discussion. HSBC hosts a network reception in the evening. On Tuesday, the delegation will attend a business forum at the Polish Chamber of Commerce where Dr Fenech Adami will deliver the opening address. Meetings will continue in the afternoon.
At a briefing at the ministry last week, Malta Enterprise chairman Alan Camilleri said his organisation was committed to help local business grasp opportunities overseas.
He said Malta Enterprise had a programme of planned visits to key markets lined up. A trade delegation will travel to the Czech Republic in March to follow up the Minister of Trade's recent visit to Malta.
Agreements between Malta and Poland govern health care, air services, culture, and double taxation. An economic co-operation agreement was abrogated in 1977.
Provisional statistics showed Malta imported €15.9 million worth of goods from Poland, mainly foodstuffs, preparation of cereals and tobacco, last year. Exports amounted to €11.5 million, mostly pharmaceuticals, plastic packaging, and rubber components.
"The experience gained from organising the most recent business delegations to the Ukraine and Portugal has served us well," Melvyn Mangion, the Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, told The Times Business.
"The ministry has worked intensively to 'sell' this opportunity to the local business community, which in turn, responded remarkably. This is also thanks to the collaboration with Malta Enterprise in the organisation of the visit. The delegates were attracted by the fact that Malta Enterprise will subsidise their travel expenses through a purposely set up fund."
Representatives of a cross-section of Malta's enterprise and the service industry, including several family businesses and small firms, will be travelling to Poland, where Ambassador Gaetan Naudi took up his post as Malta's first resident ambassador last month.
The list includes English-language schools, outgoing travel agents, destination management firms, software and IT solutions companies, contractors, shipping agents, auditors, accountants and tax specialists, engineers, food importers and exporters, agricultural producers, pharmaceuticals, car and marine parts and technology makers, marketing agencies, logistics managers, and even yacht importers.
Air Malta chief executive officer Joe Capello is to hold meetings with tour operators, particularly those already operating charter flights with Polish carriers. Just under 6,000 Polish visitors travelled to Malta last year.
Pre-arranged, one-to-one meetings will be held at the Confederation of Polish Employers on Monday morning, followed by a presentation and discussion. HSBC hosts a network reception in the evening. On Tuesday, the delegation will attend a business forum at the Polish Chamber of Commerce where Dr Fenech Adami will deliver the opening address. Meetings will continue in the afternoon.
At a briefing at the ministry last week, Malta Enterprise chairman Alan Camilleri said his organisation was committed to help local business grasp opportunities overseas.
He said Malta Enterprise had a programme of planned visits to key markets lined up. A trade delegation will travel to the Czech Republic in March to follow up the Minister of Trade's recent visit to Malta.
Agreements between Malta and Poland govern health care, air services, culture, and double taxation. An economic co-operation agreement was abrogated in 1977.
Provisional statistics showed Malta imported €15.9 million worth of goods from Poland, mainly foodstuffs, preparation of cereals and tobacco, last year. Exports amounted to €11.5 million, mostly pharmaceuticals, plastic packaging, and rubber components.