FTI organises "Mega Fam trip" – 1000 travel agents visit Malta

Details regarding the “mega fam trip” to Malta involving 1,000 German travel agents were given during a press conference at the Cavallieri Hotel St Julians, on Sunday the 17th May. The press conference was addressed by Air Malta CEO Mr Joe Cappello, MTA Chairman Mr Sam Mifsud, FTI CEO Mr Dietmar Gunz and the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Dr Mario De Marco.

These familiarisation visit were organised by Frosch Touristik International (FTI) in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority, Air Malta, Malta International Airport as well as various hotels and tourism service providers in Malta and Gozo. The 1,000 travel agents from Germany were brought to Malta to experience the Islands’ product offer and therefore be in a better position to sell them from experience. FTI is the largest tour operator bringing tourists to Malta from the German speaking countries. It is estimated that 50,000 tourists per annum, or one in three of the German tourists arriving in Malta are brought over by FTI. The German market is the second largest market for Malta.

In his address Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, the Hon. Dr Mario de Marco said that last year, almost one in every three German tourists were brought to Malta by FTI, and this shows the importance this Tour Operator has for Malta. He added that the organisation of this fam-trip for travel agents is not only a short-term investment, but more so a medium and long-term one which will eventually reap the benefits in years to come. Dr de Marco thanked Mr Gunz for believing in Malta as a destination, as well as all the other stakeholders like Airmalta, Malta International Airport and various hotels for supporting the Malta Tourism Authority and FTI in this initiative.

Mr Gunz explained in detail FTI’s role in tourism to Malta and how it functions, and he emphasised that it is also important not only to use e-commerce but all other available avenues. Contrary to belief, booking your holiday through a tour operator like FTI, has actually been known to result in a 4 to 5 percent reduction in travel costs, whilst getting a personalized service an e-booking system cannot offer. He emphasised that Tour Operators need to be able to offer all-inclusive packages which offer a pre-estimated expense to the traveller and guarantee budget security whilst still offering a good product. He concluded by stating that Malta is a great place to offer this when compared to other destinations.

In his introduction Mr Sam Mifsud gave some background on FTI and Malta’s relationship with Mr Dietmar Gunz that has spanned over 25 years.

When addressing the conference, Mr Joe Cappello said he was happy to have been able to work on this initiative with Mr Gunz who he has known for many years and said that Air Malta was offering the required seats for free in view of the importance of this trip. He also said Air Malta are in constant bid to expand their services, and, in fact the code sharing agreement with Lufthansa has improved matters significantly. Through this agreement both Malta and Air Malta can be sold much more easily in German cities where Air Malta does not operate direct services.

This issue is available at: 0905.