MALTA TO HOST 61st SKAL INTERNATIONAL WORLD CONGRESS

Minister for Tourism Michael Refalo, SKAL International Secretary General Jim Powers, and President of the SKAL Club of Malta Anthony J. Gatt addressed a Press Conference at the Ministry of Tourism today and announced that the 61^st World Congress of SKAL International Clubs will be held in Malta between the 27^th November and 2^nd December 2000.

The Minister welcomed Mr. Powers and thanked Mr. Gatt for the SKAL Malta Club's efforts to attract the congress, previously scheduled for the 12^th to 17^th November 2000 in Jerusalem, Israel.

SKAL International is an organisation which brings together the membership of tourism professionals in 513 clubs around the world.

"Following nearly ten months of peace in the Mediterranean region which allowed all destinations to operate and compete in a tranquil atmosphere, the recent upsurge of violence in the Middle East has made people reconsider holidaying and holiday events in that region."

The Minister said that while he preferred Malta to be chosen as a congress venue for its own merits rather than because of the misfortunes of others. "However even in these sad circumstances SKAL had many other options to consider and chose Malta because we have a good hotel product and excellent DMCs whose organisational merits alone have attracted thousands of conference delegates to Malta in recent years.

"Our estimate is that Malta hosted around 250 Conferences in 1999 and that 2000 should prove equally successful especially because Malta has now in penetrated the top end of the segment and in 1999 and 2000 hosted a number of high profile meetings and events".

Minister Refalo continued by saying that were Malta not equipped with five star bedstock this business would certainly not have been attracted to the Islands.

"Hotels are only one of many element which constitute the product the meetings and incentive market demands. Delegates and incentive visitors are a special breed of visitor and look for special products."

"We have them on offer but organisers do not avail themselves sufficiently, partly due to bureaucratic problems and partly because not sufficient thought is put into programme preparation. As conference organisers who in the part called upon the Ministry's for support know, we spare no effort in our attempts to ensure that all reasonable requests are met."

"Special visitors appreciate special treatment," said the Minister, and urged owners and administrators of historical buildings and heritage properties to be more pro-active and forthcoming when requests for use of the properties is made by conference organisers.

"There is however one niche which Malta's leisure industry entrepreneurs have not exploited. Other than discotheques which attract a certain age group as yet, no one has thought about investing and launching a non hotel based venue, other than restaurants, for suitable evening entertainment I hope, that new entrepreneurs soon to open in this area will fill this void".

The Malta Tourism Authority's Conference and Incentive Travel Division is well geared up, attends meetings and fairs, has attractive promotional material and excellent contacts which enable Malta and Gozo's Five and Four Star properties to benefit from this market segment.

Turning back to the SKAL International World Congress, Minister Refalo concluded that there were other contenders for the event but thanks to the efforts of the Malta Club ably supported by MTA and Air Malta, which has accorded delegates a favourable seat rate, Malta was SKAL's final choice. "Welcome SKAL, congratulations to all those who have made this possible".