Q BOV Deloitte Hotels Survey PAGE 1. Hotelstars Union welcomes Latvian Presidency PAGE 3-4. Malta named third by the New York Times PAGE 5

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1 INTOUCH MHRA s e-magazine ISSUE 1/2016 In this issue: Q BOV Deloitte Hotels Survey PAGE 1 In bound tourism up 11.3% in November 2015 PAGE 2-3 Hotelstars Union welcomes Latvian Presidency PAGE 3-4 e-marketing Course PAGE 4 Malta named third by the New York Times PAGE 5 MHRA GWU Meeting PAGE 6 Committee to identify Skills Gap PAGE 6

2 INTOUCH Page 1 QUARTER BOV DELOITTE HOTELS SURVEY The industry s efforts to market the destination in the low season, with the support of both traditional and online tour operators, has resulted in higher year-on-year growth in occupancy for the year-to-date basis than Q3. However, as more hotels operate at full capacity during the summer months, the scope for improvements in Q3 occupancy becomes less possible.. the reduction in seasonality pointed out in previous quarters is expected to continue in the fourth quarter, especially in the 5-star sector, where survey participants expect improved rates unanimously, and 84% expect better occupancy. This is a clear indicator that the tourism sector is continuing to achieve progress in turning Malta into an all-year-round destination. On a less positive note Tourism statistics issued by the National Statistics Office report the overall number of collective accommodation bed nights to be down and this for the second quarter running. In the meantime Private accommodation continues to increase its market share. Whilst the collective accommodation market is reported to have shrunk during the first three quarters of this year (albeit marginally), private accommodation guest-nights are reported to be up by almost 15%. The marginal drop in collective accommodation bed nights does not appear to have filtered through to the hotels that participated in our survey, as overall occupancy on a year-to-date basis is reported to be up in all segments. This factor is likely to be dye to the fact that a number of hotels were closed for refurbishment during the period January September 2015, which would have caused a temporary reduction in supply and helped hotels that remained open to perform better than the same period the previous year with the three hotel categories reporting increases in occupancy between 1.2% and 2.4% in contrast with a 3.7% decrease in overall collective accommodation guestnights. Aside from the volume movements which do not appear to have been significant, the 3 hotel segments have consistently reported encouraging improvements in room rates for the quarter, ranging from 14% to 16%. The rate improvements were further complemented by notable increases in non-accommodation revenue. The overall cost-base in all sectors appears to have also risen, with the exception of energy, where All hotel segments report energy cost reductions of between 6% and 8%. MHRA was the only institution that lobbied very hard to see the reduction of the energy rates which today benefits not only its members but every sector of the economy and all the Maltese families. The forecasted trends for Q4 sees the same trends as in Q3 on a year-to-date basis, with improvements in all key performance indicators compared to the same period last year. Part of the audience Steve Ellul, CFA, Investment Manager, BOV

3 INTOUCH Page 2 David Bonett, Deloitte Tony Zahra, President, MHRA IN BOUND TOURISM UP 11.3% IN NOVEMBER 2015 AND TOURIST EXPENDITURE AT 90 MILLION (ARTICLE BY THE MALTA INDIPENDNET) Total inbound visitors for November were estimated at 115,105, an increase of 11.3%when compared to the corresponding month of 2014, the National Statistics Office said today. Excluding passengers who stayed overnight on board their berthed cruise ship, total inbound tourist trips amounted to 113,042. A total of 91,188 inbound tourist trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 13,025 were undertaken for business purposes. Inbound tourists from EU Member States went up by 9.5% to 95,835 when compared to the corresponding month of The largest proportion of inbound tourists was aged between 45 and 64, followed by those within the age brackets. Total nights spent went up by 7.7% when compared to November 2014, amounting to 838,984 nights. The largest share of guest nights (67.1%) was spent in collective accommodation establishments. Total tourist expenditure was estimated at 90.1 million, an increase of 12.2% over November January-November 2015 Inbound tourist trips from January to November amounted to 1,718,853, an increase of 5.9% over the same period in Total nights spent by inbound tourists went up by 5.2%, surpassing 13.6 million nights. Total tourism expenditure was estimated at 1,590.2 million, 7.7% higher than that recorded for the same period in Total expenditure per capita stood at 925, an increase of 1.7% when compared to In a statement, the Malta Tourism Authority said the above mentioned growth included the two international events held in Malta during the month of November. These results still reflect the constant positive growth experienced throughout the year which is expected to continue even during December.

4 INTOUCH Page 3 The majority of source markets with the exception of Libya and Russia recorded increases. The United Kingdom registered the largest absolute increase of 36,595 more tourists compared to same period last year, followed by Italy with 25,738 more tourists. Furthermore double-digit growth rates in inbound tourists were recorded from USA, Belgium, Ireland and Austria. MTA CEO Mr Paul Bugeja said the MTA was extremely pleased with the double-digit growth rates achieved in inbound tourism performance during November 2015, in particular with the sustained increases in the tourist expenditure figure which is ultimately one of the most important indicators of tourism performance. Mr Bugeja added that the new record figures achieved throughout this year are the result of the hard work put in by all our stakeholders within the industry. These efforts amongst others included several marketing initiatives, better exposure in International travel fairs and increased connectivity to our Islands HOTELSTARS UNION WELCOMES LATVIAN PRESIDENCY FOR 2016 classification system. The yearly rotating Presidency of Hotelstars Union will be handed over from Hungary to Latvia with the turn of the year. The main goal for 2016 is to sharpen awareness and to strengthen the brand of the harmonised European hotel Hotelstars Union (HSU) welcomes Janis Valodze, President of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Latvia, as the new HSU-President for The hotelstars family with its 16 European Members is represented by a yearly rotating Presidency, which was held by Ákos Niklai, President of Hungarian Hotel & Restaurant Association, in the last year. Janis Valodze, the newly appointed HSU- President, is looking forward to a productive year. He stated that the main goal for the near future was to sharpen awareness and strengthen the HSU-brand vis-à-vis all market players. He added that the HSU- system as the European brand had to be fortified for a transparent and reliable hotel classification with the relaunch of into a more user-friendly webpage as one of the most important tasks this year. Awareness raising vis-à-vis data suppliers and European institutions Furthermore, it will be essential to raise awareness vis-à-vis Online Travel Agents (OTAs), navigation systems and other data suppliers, so that the official hotelstars will be used on their platforms. The European Parliament recently stated that the HSU initiative aimed at gradually harmonising accommodation classification systems across Europe should be further promoted. Niklai and Valodze confirm: This is very encouraging for our work and will lead us to closer contact with European institutions. The first step will be a HSU-presentation at the European Parliament in March HSU enlargement In 2015 Liechtenstein became the sixteenth Member of HSU. HSU is interested in expanding the system and enlarge the hotelstars family in order to ensure a harmonised hotel classification across Europe. The fundament of a balanced growth would be the newly adapted and signed Contract of the Hotelstars Union, which was undoubtedly the highlight of the Hungarian Presidency.

5 INTOUCH Page 4 Hotelstars Union Under the patronage of HOTREC Hospitality Europe - the hotel associations of Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland have created the Hotelstars Union. In the meantime Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Malta joined the star family. Their product is a harmonised criteria catalogue for hotel classification, to provide the guest and hotelier more transparency and security. For detailed information please visit E-MARKETING COURSE

6 INTOUCH Page 5 MALTA NAMED THIRD ON THE NEW YORK TIMES 52 PLACES TO GO IN 2016 Malta was named third on the prestigious New York Times "52 Places to go in 2016" list in its Sunday Travel Section that was issued on January 10, A European country situated between Sicily and the North African coast, has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Valletta, Malta s capital was named the European Capital of Culture An excerpt from The New York Times describes Malta as, An affordable Mediterranean playground with a superb climate, sublime beaches, megalithic temples and a distinctive crossroads culture. The article further described the Archipelago, There are three inhabited islands to explore Malta, home to buzzing Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage city of stunning limestone buildings; Gozo, more tranquil and with a dramatic coastline filled with great spots for diving; and idyllic, car-free Comino, which has one hotel and few residents. Paul Bugeja, CEO, Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), stated that he was very pleased that Malta was named number three by such a prestigious newspaper as the New York Times. Since reestablishing a Malta Tourism Authority presence in the US two years ago, MTA has seen an increase in the number of Americans visiting Malta, however, now with this New York Times Travel Section spotlight, Malta will lure even more visitors from the US to discover the hidden gem of the Mediterranean. MHRA & GWU DISCUSS PASSPORT PROPOSAL FOR EMPLOYEES IN TOURISM SECTOR Officials from the Malta Hotels & Restaurants Association MHRA met with officials from the General Workers Union GWU led by Mr Josef Bugeja, Secretary General to discuss proposals of a passport for employees in the tourism industry containing details of their qualifications and skills. Mr Bugeja said the passport would ensure that Malta retains its high reputation in the hospitality sector and in tourism in general. He continued that there were hotels that provided good service and that normally they employed Maltese personnel and others with not so good service that employed foreign employees. Mr Bugeja amplified that tourist do not concern themselves with the nationality of the employees but were concerned with about the level of service they were given. He explained that a passport identifying skills and qualifications would become a tool to make the country more attractive to tourists as a result of the training that would be given. On his part, MHRA President Mr Tony Zahra said that the proposal of a passport was a good idea and the MHRA would give its support to help its development and make it practical. He added that the MHRA was highly in favour of training and that it was cooperating with various entities including the Institute for Tourism Studies (ITS). Mr Zahra also stated that a training plan up to 2030 was being drawn up. Mr Andrew Agius Muscat, CEO MHRA reiterated the need for the passport to be practical for every one as the soul of tourism was its human resource and hence the need to have a well-qualified and

7 INTOUCH Page 6 trained personnel. He amplified that in the National Tourism Policy , MHRA had insisted on the vision up to 2030 as improvements in the employees skills do not happen overnight but over a substantial period of time. COMMITTEE TO IDENTIFY SKILLS GAPS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY (ARTICLE FROM L-ORIZZONT) During a visit at the Institute for Tourism Studies (ITS), the Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis highlighted the crucial role of ITS to provide vocational training to improve the workers in the tourism industry. At the same time, the Minister stressed that Malta was among the top tourist destinations and therefore it was essential to continue to invest in human resources. To this end, the Minister for Tourism launched a Scientific Committee that will identify 'skill gaps' and identify gaps in the existing skills. Minister Edward Zammit Lewis stated that after the recent revision and improvement on the curriculum within the ITS, this committee will serve to analyse and identify weaknesses that can result from this curriculum and at the same time research to enhance the educational experience and training programs within the ITS. In this way the curriculum will be consolidated based on academic initiatives of different careers in the industry. The Committee, led by the Institute for Tourism Studies, is made up of a number of stakeholders from the hospitality industry including the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), the Gozo Tourism Association (GTA), the Malta Association of Hospitality Executive (MAHE), the Malta Chef Society, the Malta Bartenders Guilds, the Federated Association of Travel and Tourism Agents (FATTA), the Valletta Cruise Port, Air Malta and the Malta Union of Tourist Guides. Meanwhile, the Minister for Tourism also announced that the ITS in collaboration with the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) and the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) in the coming days will be launching a new course intended for those who are already working in the tourism sector and who want to improve their skills. This course will be offered free of charge as part of the scheme Training Aid Framework provided by ETC and the European Union from the European Social Fund.

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9 INTOUCH Page 8 COMPILED BY: CHARLES XUEREB EXECUTIVE SECRETARY /4 secretary@mhra.org.mt SILVER BRONZE We re on the Web! Visit us at: Find us on Facebook: pages/malta-hotels- and-restaurants- Association/