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Carlo Micallef appointed as CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority

Carlo Micallef has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Tourism Authority. He carries with him a long-standing career of 25 years in various important roles within the Malta Tourism Authority and the Institute for Tourism Studies.

“ The Malta Tourism Authority ( MTA ) has approved the appointment of Carlo Micallef as Chief Executive Officer of MTA. Carlo brings a wealth of experience in the industry to this top position, and on behalf of the Board of Directors I augur him success in his new task. I am very confident he will lead the industry successfully during the recovery period and beyond. On another note I take the opportunity to thank former CEO Johann Buttigieg for his tireless efforts and contribution to positively and successfully lead MTA throughout the pandemic which was pivotal and crucial for all stakeholders and operators who now have a vibrant tourism industry to return to, ” said Dr. Gavin Gulia, MTA Chairman.

During this period, he served as Director of the same Authority in its Amsterdam office where he was responsible for the promotion of the Maltese Islands in the Netherlands, Belgium and the Nordic countries. After this experience abroad, he returned to Malta and was entrusted with the expansion of our country’s promotion in new markets and niches of the tourism world.

In 2014, Carlo Micallef was appointed as Chief Marketing Officer and in 2017 he was appointed as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the same authority.

In 2013, he started serving on the Board of Governors of the Institute for Tourism Studies and in 2017 he was appointed chairman of the same educational institution.

Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo outlined that the choice of Carlo Micallef is a natural step forward for the Malta Tourism Authority to be a proactive driver through which the Maltese tourism sector’s foundations are based on the principles of quality and sustainability.

This article provides general information only and does not replace professional advice in any way. It is recommended to consult a qualified professional before making any important decisions regarding financial, legal or other matters. The author and the publication are not responsible for any errors or damages caused by the use of the information contained in this article.

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Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association welcomes new Malta Tourism Authority CEO Carlo Micallef

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The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) welcomes the news announced by Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo, that Carlo Micallef has been appointed as new Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA).

MHRA President Tony Zahra states that “Carlo’s long standing commitment to the organisation, depth knowledge of the industry and international experience along with strategic vision and leadership skills, makes him an ideal leader to build on the great work of his predecessors and the rest of the MTA team.”

The challenges ahead are not few, yet now that the tourism industry is regaining momentum and activity we need to collectively focus efforts towards sustainable growth with a drive to setting Malta as a leading Mediterranean tourism destination as envisaged in the Malta Tourism Strategy 2021-2030 focused on the strategic thrusts Recover, Rethink and Revitalise.

Indeed, innovative solutions need to be pursued in improving the product and better access to skilled workforce whilst consolidating the strengths which we have.

MHRA is confident that with the Chairmanship of Dr Gavin Gulia and the Executive leadership of Carlo Micallef, MTA will keep playing an important role in setting the tourism sector in Malta as outstanding, by reflecting the current and forthcoming changes in the markets.

MHRA thanks outgoing MTA CEO Mr Johann Buttigieg who successfully led MTA through very difficult moments for the tourism industry due to the Covid 19 pandemic and thus ensured that today we not only still have an industry to talk about but significantly is well prepared to face the new challenges ahead.

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‘40 years in tourism have taught me how versatile Malta and the Maltese are’ – Leslie Vella

The Deputy CEO and Chief Officer Strategic Development for the Malta Tourism Authority charts his impressive career in the sector, as he looks ahead at a promising future.

by Sarah Muscat Azzopardi

20 April 2023

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Leslie Vella, Deputy CEO and Chief Officer Strategic Development for the Malta Tourism Authority, has had a lengthy career within the MTA, joining up 40 years ago as part of the student workers scheme. 

Looking back on his early days, he recalls how, as part of the scheme, “you had to do six months of study and six months of work per year. I was sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, quite randomly, and I haven’t looked back since.”

Those early days marked the start of an enduring love affair with the industry, beginning an impressive career trajectory that saw Leslie go from being a junior employee within the Marketing & Research section of what was then known as the National Tourism Organisation of Malta, right up to calling the shots as its CEO.

Tracing that journey, he recalls some of the main landmarks. “I spent three years in London as Deputy Director of our London office between 1988 and 1991, which was a great opportunity at a time before forming part of the EU made moving abroad much easier. Living on my own and mixing with some of the best brains in the industry had a huge impact on my way of thinking and operating,” he begins.  

Subsequently, Leslie also served as Director responsible for corporate services within the new Tourism Authority, which was launched in 1999, responsible for Administration, HR, IT, Finance and Research amongst other things. He was then appointed CEO, between 2001 and 2004. After that, he honed his focus on the research element of the organisation, eventually leading into strategy, which remains his primary focus today, as Chief Officer Strategic Development, while also being responsible for route development to ensure adequate airline connectivity between Malta and its source markets.

Having started at the base of the organisation as a humble student and working his way up, Leslie maintains, “I’ve gained a very horizontal understanding of the organisation, and today I find myself in a privileged position where I can look back on 40 years of trends. That gives you a very particular way of looking at things, understanding, and projecting scenarios for the future. You can look back on the ups and downs and understand the causes, which only comes when you’ve lived it.”

He also expresses his gratitude for the local and international experiences and recognition that have come with this trajectory – listing being sent to London; being made CEO and given other directorship positions; being involved in major decisions in Malta’s tourism development; being linked to the first economic study of tourism on Malta; and launching research tools that are with us to this day, among his highest honours.

Internationally, he highlights his relationships with the world body for tourism, the World Tourism Organisation, and the European Travel Commission – and being elected Chair of its Market Intelligence Group in 1997 – a position he held for 17 years until 2014. “This gave me the opportunity to lead a very powerful team of researchers from across Europe, and helped me establish myself as a respected name, not only for myself, but for the country I represented,” he says.

In that time, things have certainly changed for Malta, its tourism industry, and the authority tasked with promoting and advancing it. When Leslie started out, the organisation was, by his own admission, “tiny”, comprising about 15 people, and the research he was tasked with conducting was of a different sort to the data his team utilise for strategic development today. “Initially, research was mostly focused on reading the past, but slowly, over the years under my direction – and with the help of many people – we built a research unit to convert information to intelligence in order to plan for the future,” he explains. 

As for the landscape itself, 40 years ago, Leslie describes it as a very seasonal industry. “There were lower volumes of tourists in general – in 1984, we had 480,000 tourists in total, mostly arriving during Q3. Second was the predominance of the British market – 80 per cent of our tourists came from the UK,” he explains, noting that the island was mostly sold as a beach destination, thus ignoring major strengths like its unique culture, landscape, traditions, and off-season charms.

Today, things are different. “We have become a year-round destination; we have recognised our possible offers, and this is one of our big pleasures and challenges – to showcase the fact that this small pixel on the map represents so much. The geographical diversification has also changed, as well as our outlook as a people. Today, the positioning of Malta makes us a destination of choice, and when we look at results in recent years, we outperform the market, which signals growth. We have been capable of innovating and remaining ahead, and this is one of the biggest challenges to retain moving forward,” the Deputy CEO affirms.

This is where the National Tourism Strategy 2021-2030 comes in. Discussing the main components of the Government’s vision for tourism development, particularly considering the recovery of the sector from the damage done by COVID-19, Leslie explains that the strategy is based on the triple term of ‘Recover, Rethink, Revitalise’.  

“We have achieved the recovery aspect of this, with 2.3 million tourists recorded last year. However, the strategy also looks at rethinking, with a view to revitalising. As a generation worldwide, we are faced with all these decisions for which action needs to be taken,” he says, emphasising climate change among other global issues, noting, “it is definitely unacceptable to assume that life can go on in the same way, so we are looking at revitalising our tourism through a rethinking process, placing more emphasis on sustainability.” 

Essentially, the strategy talks about maximising tourism returns without playing the volume game; he continues, emphasising a type of tourism that is spread more equitably, not only in numbers terms, but also in terms of equating tourist needs with what the destination offers. 

Meanwhile, last year saw the launch of the Malta Tourism Observatory, with a view toward putting Malta at the forefront of sustainable tourism on a Mediterranean, European and global scale. Sitting squarely in his wheelhouse, Leslie breaks this down. 

“Traditionally, tourism was measured through a very limited number of variables: how many tourists came by month, from which countries they came, how many nights they spent, whether it was their first time, how much money they spent and what accommodation they used. Today, we understand, even within the wider discussion of sustainable tourism, that measuring the tourism phenomenon requires a wider set of observations to understand its impacts and benefits,” he says.

Thus, the concept of tourism observatories was born, with a view to autonomously measure and observe a wider set of variables to understand the tourism phenomenon. “Having an observatory is a sign of maturity on the part of the destination, as it is linked to our development,” Leslie affirms, noting that Malta’s tourism strategy is very ambitious in what it sets out to achieve, and the observatory will be charged with its execution by widening the set of variables to help gauge and plan tourism development backed up by more tools. 

“Eventually, once it develops and starts delivering results, we hope to integrate it with the global family of tourism observatories with a view to having information to share,” he smiles.

Looking ahead, Leslie believes that the challenges moving forward will always be regarding the maximised use of what we have available, rather than using resources as if there is no tomorrow. Despite this, opportunities abound. 

“40 years in tourism have taught me how versatile Malta and the Maltese are. We are capable of reinventing ourselves; we have such depth of material coupled with a very enterprising and innovative way of looking at things that the traditional product life cycle does not seem to apply to us. We are very willing to change and adapt, and this has helped our economy to thrive.”

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Who’s Who in Malta: Meet Carlo Micallef – Chief Marketing Officer & Deputy CEO, Malta Tourism Authority

Mr Micallef occupied all positions within the MTA’s Marketing Directorate

18th October 2021

Carlo Micallef joined the Malta Tourism Authority in 1997 when it was known as the National Tourism Organisation Malta.

He progressively occupied all positions in the MTA’s Marketing Directorate and held key positions within its International Marketing Directorate throughout the 10 record years of tourism and, since assuming the position of CMO, he embarked on initiatives to refresh the MTA’s marketing set up, Branding, PR and advertising activity overseas.

“These changes contributed to Malta and Gozo’s best years in tourism, with double-digit growth year on year in the number of arrivals and achieving record growth in income from tourism and tourist bed nights.

“During this period, the MTA, in cooperation with the industry, also achieved key objectives of a higher rate of growth in tourism in the winter months as well as a strong diversification of the source markets,” Mr Micallef says.

The MTA’s mission is to advance the economic and social activity of tourism in the national interest by working with all stakeholders to develop a sustainable industry for current and future generations.

Its vision is to achieve a healthy, sustainable and equitable tourism sector for the Maltese Islands, attracting regular inflows of quality visitors throughout the year from a diverse range of source markets while ensuring that those who choose Malta as their destination are served with professionalism and care.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Who’s Who List in Malta is a collection of profiles of people involved and active in business, management and professional life in Malta. You can discover more by visiting whoswho.mt, Malta’s leading online business search engine and networking platform.

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At the Malta Tourism Authority, we are all about bringing people together, creating and fostering relationships, through the excitement of travel and adventure. Essentially, the Malta Tourism Authority is the main regulator and motivator for the tourism industry in Malta. The MTA Is also the industry’s motivator, its business partner, Malta’s brand promoter, and sees to it that meaningful partnerships with all the tourism stakeholders are formed, maintained, and managed.

At face value, this means being close to those who visit our Islands, but as an Authority, we also work closely alongside our private sector partners. More importantly, we help strengthen the industry’s human resources, as we seek to ensure the highest standards and quality of our tourism product and foster relations with local and international media.

The Authority was formally set up by the  Malta Travel and Tourism Service Act (1999) . This legislation clearly defines our role – extending it beyond that of international marketing to include a domestic, motivating, directional, coordinating, and regulatory role.

The Act strengthens the public and private partnership in tourism through greater and more direct participation by the private sector in national planning and development of the industry.

Our Role is

• to promote and advance Malta as a quality and sustainable tourism destination;
• to advise the country’s executive on tourism operations and to issue licences under the Act;
• to contribute towards the improvement of the level of human resources in the tourism industry; and
• to advise the government on the planning and development of the tourism industry as well as on the infrastructure supporting the industry.

Ultimately, as an Authority, we are here to assist and advise on any tourism-related issues and to undertake activities and projects to fulfill our role.

Standards and Licensing

The MTA mission includes licensing, monitoring, and control of:

• Accommodation and catering establishments; Travel agencies, incoming tourism agencies and destination management companies;
• Organised excursion operators; and
• Tourist guides.

If you have any comments regarding tourism services on the Islands, feel free to contact us.

Customer Care

E-mail:  [email protected] Tel: 356 22915000 Freephone: 356 80072230 * Website:  http://www.mta.com.mt

* Available from Monday to Friday: 08.00 – 12.30 and 13.15 – 17.00.

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Welcome to the corporate website of the Malta Tourism Authority.

This website is intended to provide an overview of what the MTA does, both locally and overseas, to promote the Maltese Islands as a tourism destination, to enhance the tourism product, to improve the level of service given to our visitors and to fulfill its role as regulator.

MTA works closely with the Ministry for Tourism and Consumer Protection, other entities in the public sector, private enterprise and the general public to carry out its various functions for the benefit of all.

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