PRESS RELEASE BY THE OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TOURISM: Deputy Prime Minister Borg leads Malta's first ever participation at the World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, is leading Malta's first official participation at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit, currently being held in Rome.

The WTTC Global Summit is the foremost annual gathering of tourism leaders, bringing together ministers, senior executives from global travel and tourism companies, destination marketing organisations and international media. This year's edition, hosted by Italy, has attracted over 1,000 delegates from across the world.

This is the first time a Maltese delegation is participating in this influential international event, months after Malta became a member the WTTC.       

On Sunday, Dr Borg joined fellow tourism ministers and other industry leaders for the Summit's Global Leaders' Dialogue. Speaking during a discussion themed 'Sharing European best practices with the world', he outlined Malta's strategy towards sustainable growth, focusing on reducing seasonality, diversification of the tourism offering, investing in more authentic, value-added visitor experiences, and integrating environmental responsibility and digitalisation across all stages of tourism development.

“European tourism continues to face mounting pressures, from the climate emergency to geopolitical uncertainties and shifting traveller expectations, and meeting these challenges requires innovation, transformation and solutions that ensure effective destination management, sustainability and resilience. Ultimately, the key is to strengthen our ability to keep delivering unforgettable, authentic experiences to our visitors," stated Dr Borg.

Maltese Member of the European Parliament, Daniel Attard, in his role as the European Parliament's lead negotiator on sustainable tourism, also addressed the Summit. He emphasised that the future of European tourism should be built on four pillars - culture as the core of the tourism offering, connectivity as the key for islands and peripheral regions, regional development to ensure that prosperity truly reaches everyone, and economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

The Maltese delegation at the Summit includes the Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Tourism Authority, Carlo Micallef, the Ambassador of Malta to Italy, Daniel Azzopardi, and other senior officials. On the sidelines of the Summit, the delegation is also holding talks with other countries' tourism authorities, as well as key executives from major international players.  

Photos: MFT