• New CEO for the Malta Tourism Authority

  The board of the Malta Tourism Authority on Wednesday unanimously approved the appointment of Mr. Josef Formosa Gauci as the new chief executive of the MTA. Mr. Formosa Gauci, 40, will be assuming the responsibilities of CEO within the next few weeks.

  More at: pr4.

• THE KOOKS, OneRepublic, N*E*R*D and Enrique Iglesias to perform at Isle of Mtv Malta

  London, 16 May 2008: The Kooks, OneRepublic, N*E*R*D and Enrique Iglesias will headline the Isle of MTV music event in Malta on 25 June, MTV Networks International (MTVNI) announced today. The bands will play in the spectacular Il-Fosos Square in Floriana in front of 40,000 people.

  More at: pr15.

• Malta Music Week and MTV line-up announced

  In a press-conference held today at the Excelsior hotel on the 21st May at Midday, the official launching of the Malta Music Week celebrating the Isle of MTV, Malta, music event, took place. Speculation about the MTV line-up was finally put to rest with the confirmed line-up being announced by Mr Kevin Drake, Director Communications and PR at the MTA; who are the partners for this event. The line-up includes Enrique Iglesias who needs no introductions, and upcoming stars, which MTV sees as the record breakers in the next months, the Kooks, N*E*R*D of Pharrell Williams fame, and Lady Gaga a budding performer who has taken the US by storm.

  More at: pr17.

• Deutsche Welle filming Rainer Mitze in Malta

  Deutsche Welle TV visited the Maltese shores again from the 15th to the 18th May for a film shooting. This time, Deutsche Welle TV filmed three different stories which will then be featured in their programme “Euromaxx”.

  More at: pr20.

• Tourism Performance January to March 2008

  March saw an increase in tourists visiting Malta of 27% compounded with an increase in nights spent by 21.1%, however the average length of stay decreased to 8.0 nights. March still registered an increase in total expenditure of 13.3%. The first three months of this year the number of inbound tourists rose by 22% resulting in an increase of 13% on the total nights spent even though the average stay per tourist decreased from 8.7 to 8.0 nights. Expenditure over this period increased by 4.9%

  More at: pr7.

• A Previous Engagement

  The first Maltese-Canadian co-production 'A Previous Engagement' premiered last Friday in North America and has received reviews which refer not only to the actors, story or film-makers but with also specific references to the cinematic beauty of Malta.

  More at: pr3.

Other news stories this month:

• The magic of freestyle football

  Soufiane Touzani shall be mesmerising football fans in Malta this June. Born and bred in Rotterdam Soufianne Touzani spent his childhood with a ball around his feet, experimenting new tricks learnt from his local heroes. Touzani played professional football with HFC Haarlem and Feyenoord.

  More at: pr11.

• Second Revelation

  Right on the heels of Raphael Labro's critically honored "Rebirth", “Awakening” and “Revelation” exhibitions, the artist brings us a new vision: the "Second Revelation" Exhibition from Raphael Labro takes place in Malta at the prestigious Cotoner Hall, MCC, Valletta, Malta from 12th-21st June 2008.

  More at: pr28.

• 323 front line tourism employees attend service culture training in Gozo

  An overwhelming 323 front line Gozitan employees working in the tourism sector have recently completed a twelve module customer care and service culture training programme as part of the Merhba Tourism Awareness and Customer Care training programme.

  More at: pr27.

• Medcoast meeting in Malta

  The Birgu Local Council hosted the third meeting for the MedCOAST.net project. MedCOAST.net is a project funded under the Archimed Programme (Interreg IIIB Community Initiative), in which the Birgu Local Council is a partner.

  More at: pr25.

• Malta's hotels going green

  The Malta Tourism Authority recently organised a seminar on environmental management in the tourism industry and the role of the Eco-Certification.

  More at: pr26.

• Malta Tourism Authority launches Mobile Internet Site

  Malta Tourism Authority has developed its first ever mobile internet site where consumers can find out more about the Maltese Islands, receive free wallpapers showcasing some of its beautiful landscapes and even download the ringtone of the Malta TV advert which has been airing in the UK since December.

  More at: pr16.

• Malta Tourism Authority implements new Risk Management and Quality Assurance Plan

  The Malta Tourism Authority has responded to the recent UK Corporate Manslaughter Act with an internal education program and a development programme for DMC’s to keep Malta at the forefront of the UK MICE market.

  More at: pr23.

• Nestlé Fitness Virtual Model

  For the second year running, Xfm in collaboration with Nestlé Malta launched the highly anticipated ‘Nestlé Fitness Virtual Model’ competition. This innovative competition saw hundreds of young hopefuls auditioning for the chance to be chosen for the final twelve. Xfm listeners were encouraged to vote for their favourite model via sms on the official website www.xfmvirtualmodel.com. The competition culminated in a fashion event on Friday 28th March in the ‘Fortress Suite’ at the Corinthia San Gorg.

  More at: pr19.

• Gordon Giltrap impressed by the Manoel Theatre

  Gordon Giltrap is an English acoustic and electric guitarist and composer. His musical styles cross multiple genres, from folk blues to pop, classical to rock. Giltrap's musical career started to take off in the 1960s, playing live in London in the folk scene, alongside contemporaries such as Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and Mike Oldfield. "Malta is a beautiful place, well Valletta is, and we can't wait to return at some point to spend more time exploring the island. With a 7000 year history it is definitely our kind of place." – Gordon Giltrap

  More at: pr12.

• An inspiration to all

  Isabel is an eight-year old girl from Sweden, who suffers from severe scoliosis and spina bifida, yet she is a beautiful girl who has a winning smile and a beauty that stems from being genuinely loved by her family.

  More at: pr2.

• Website promoting awareness amongst Italian travel agents.

  The Malta Toruism Authority launched a new website aiming to encourage travel agents learn more on what Malta has to offer. The MTA wants to turn the slogan "The Mediterranean's best kept secret" on its head. With projected increases in European tourism, we are progressively identifying all the stumbling blocks that can limit growth and address them in a cost-effective and timely manner.

  More at: pr9.