PRESS RELEASE BY THE OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TOURISM International academic organisation t-Forum moves to Malta, in new strategic agreement with the Malta Tourism Observatory

Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg and Professor Jafar Jafari inaugurate new library with 1,000 tourism publications

t-Forum, the acclaimed academic organisation focused on bridging the gap between tourism's academia and the industry, is moving its international operations to Malta, following a landmark agreement with the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and the Malta Tourism Observatory.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Ian Borg presided over the signing of the agreement at the MTA offices, this week. It was signed by Malta Tourism Authority CEO Carlo Micallef, Malta Tourism Observatory Managing Director Leslie Vella and t-Forum's Professor Jafar Jafari, the eminent scholar globally acclaimed as a pioneer of tourism studies, in the presence of the Authority's Chairman Charles Mangion.

Through this strategic collaboration with the MTA and the Observatory, t-Forum Malta will continue executing its mission to facilitate the transfer of academic knowledge to tourism destinations and businesses, drawing upon the expertise of universities and other educational institutions, while identifying sources of tourism intelligence in the industry.

t-Forum Malta will also launch a periodical, 'The Bridge', summarising top academic journal articles for tourism industry decision makers worldwide.

Following the signing ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Borg and Professor Jafar Jafari also inaugurated the Jafar Jafari Library, within the Malta Tourism Observatory's offices. It includes more than 1,000 publications from Professor Jafari's personal collection, which he donated to the Observatory earlier this year. This specialised library brings a wealth of knowledge to academics, students, tourism operators and other stakeholders in Malta and beyond.

Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg expressed his support and satisfaction at this initiative, which is placing Malta at the forefront of international tourism collaboration and scholarship.  “Once again, our country continues to punch above its weight, as it habitually does when it takes such leading roles in international organisations and collaborations," he said.

Professor Jafar Jafari thanked Malta for embracing t-Forum and expressed his strong belief that this collaboration will play a major role in enhancing the dissemination of knowledge within the international tourism community for many years to come.

MTA CEO Carlo Micallef stated that it is with pride that the Malta Tourism Authority is supporting the Malta Tourism Observatory in hosting t-Forum Malta. “This agreement adds another relevant and important dimension to the wide range of functions undertaken by the Authority," he added.

Among other projects, next year t-Forum Malta will be organising an international conference in Malta, in conjunction with the 72nd UN Tourism Commission for Europe, which will also be hosted by Malta.