Hospitality and catering lobbies welcome appointment of Carlo Micallef as MTA CEO

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, as well as the Association of Catering Establishments, have welcomed Friday’s Government announcement that Carlo Micallef has been named CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA).

In a statement, the MHRA’s President, Tony Zahra said:

“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 organisation went onto describe how “the challenges ahead” for the economy and the tourism sector specifically “are not few”.

“..Yet,” the MHRA added, “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.” 

It said that “innovative solutions need to be pursued in improving the product and better access to skilled workforce whilst consolidating the strengths which we have”.

With the Chairmanship of Gavin Gulia and the Executive leadership of Carlo Micallef, the MHRA said it is confident that the 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 thanked 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”.

On it’s part the Association of Catering Establishments also welcomed the appointment, saying that it has over the past years worked with Mr Micallef on various key matters related to the catering industry and “is certain this will remain the modus operandi between both parties”. 

Indeed, ACE said it looks forward to developing this “close relationship” further in order to address the various challenges the sector is currently facing and to ensure the catering industry will continue to thrive in the coming years. 

About Carlo Micallef

Mr Micallef is a graduate of the University of Malta with a Bachelor of Commerce, Management specialised in Marketing.

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.

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 Chief Marketing Officer and in 2017 he was appointed 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.

The minister thanked Mr Buttigieg for serving in this same role over the years.