Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1013924
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 AUGUST 2018 NEWS It is younger clients who are searching for more adventur- ous individual trips. Package tours might have offered a convenient way of making travel arrangements in the past, but holidaymakers today are booking their flights and accommodation online from home. Aquilina said younger trav- ellers were more likely to choose entertainment des- tinations like Ayia Napa in Cyprus, Amsterdam, Ibiza in the Balearics, or else go for long-haul trips to places like Vietnam, Thailand and South Africa. Couples with children on the other hand were more likely to opt for the ubiquitous fam- ily-friendliness of Disneyland in Paris, or even Dubai. "Older travellers often choose to go on tour to a Eu- ropean country, with some of the braver ones even booking package trips to the United States, Australia and New Zealand… but our clients are of all ages and come from all walks of life," Aquilina said. "What is certain is that trav- el has increased in popularity tremendously in recent years. This has been the result of a drastic improvement in af- fordability, a constant change in priorities within our soci- ety and a better standard of living. As a matter of fact, I can safely say that from my experience, the Maltese travel at least twice a year." And Aquilina said perennial favourites for the Maltese are destinations such as London, Disneyland and Paris, but also Lisbon in Portugal, Prague in the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Dubai in the UAE, South Af- rica, Australia and Vietnam. National Statistics Office figures indeed show that non- package trips vastly outnum- ber package ones. Out of the total number of trips in January-March 2018, only 18,000 Maltese people went abroad on a tour, while over 119,000 chose to travel independently. During the first three months of this year, there were over 137,000 total out- bound Maltese tourists, with the highest percentage – 66,000 – being persons aged 25-44. Only 8,000 tourists were over 65 years of age, while almost 40,000 were 45- 64 years old and 24,000 were 24 or under. Just over 6,000 tourists chose to travel by sea in the first quarter of 2018, with the vast majority, over 131,000, opting for air travel. This could be a reflection of the seasonal popularity of cruis- es. Italy and the United King- dom statistically remain the most popular destinations, with a combined share of al- most 56% of all tourist trips. The statistics indicate that outbound tourism in the January-March period this year was up by over 17% to EU countries, and by 45% to non-EU destinations, com- pared to the same period in 2017, confirming an increase in Maltese people's appetite for travelling to more exotic places. mcosta@mediatoday.com.mt Victoria MINISTRY FOR THE FAMILY, CHILDREN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY Call for Partnership Organisations The Director (Corporate Services) within the Ministry for the Family, Children Rights and Social Solidarity notifies that: Sealed proposal documents marked: "Call for Partnership Organisations: Call for Voluntary Organisations and/or Public Bodies to Become Partners to the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity for the Distribution of Food Packages under the Fund for the European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD)" will be received in the submission box, situated at the Procurement & Supplies Section, Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity, 469, Bugeia Institute, St Joseph High Street, Santa Venera, by not later than 12AM of the 14 th September 2018, for: Proposal No. Q58/2018. Call for Partnership Organisations: Call for Voluntary Organisations and/or Public Bodies to Become Partners to the Ministry for the Family, Children Rights and Social Solidarity for the Distribution of Food Packages under the Fund for the European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). Interested parties may request a copy of the call document by sending an email to: [procurement.mfss@gov.mt ] clearly indicating advert number: Q58/2018. The Ministry's address is as follows: Ministry for the Family, Children Rights and Social Solidarity Procurement & Supplies Section, 469, Bugeia Institiute, St Joseph High Street, Sta Venera Tel: 2590 3550 Alleviating Food Deprivation for the Most Deprived Persons in Malta Operational Programme 2014- 2020 Tender part-financed by the European Union Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) Co-financing rate: 85% EU Funds; 15% National Funds MINISTRY FOR THE FAMILY, CHILDREN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY Call for Partnership Organisations The Director (Corporate Services) within the Ministry for the Family, Children Rights and Social Solidarity notifies that: Sealed proposal documents marked: "Call for Partnership Organisations: Call for Voluntary Organisations and/or Public Bodies to Become Partners to the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity for the Distribution of Food Packages under the Fund for the European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD)" will be received in the submission box, situated at the Procurement & Supplies Section, Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity, 469, Bugeia Institute, St Joseph High Street, Santa Venera, by not later than 12AM of the 14 th September 2018, for: Proposal No. Q58/2018. Call for Partnership Organisations: Call for Voluntary Organisations and/or Public Bodies to Become Partners to the Ministry for the Family, Children Rights and Social Solidarity for the Distribution of Food Packages under the Fund for the European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). Interested parties may request a copy of the call document by sending an email to: [procurement.mfss@gov.mt ] clearly indicating advert number: Q58/2018. The Ministry's address is as follows: Ministry for the Family, Children Rights and Social Solidarity Procurement & Supplies Section, 469, Bugeia Institiute, St Joseph High Street, Sta Venera Tel: 2590 3550 Alleviating Food Deprivation for the Most Deprived Persons in Malta Operational Programme 2014- 2020 Tender part-financed by the European Union Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) Co-financing rate: 85% EU Funds; 15% National Funds MINISTRY FOR THE FAMILY, CHILDREN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY Call for Partnership Organisations The Director (Corporate Services) within the Ministry for the Family, Children Rights and Social Solidarity notifies that: Sealed proposal documents marked: "Call for Partnership Organisations: Call for Voluntary Organisations and/or Public Bodies to Become Partners to the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity for the Distribution of Food Packages under the Fund for the European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD)" will be received in the submission box, situated at the Procurement & Supplies Section, Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity, 469, Bugeia Institute, St Joseph High Street, Santa Venera, by not later than 12AM of the 14 th September 2018, for: Proposal No. Q58/2018. Call for Partnership Organisations: Call for Voluntary Organisations and/or Public Bodies to Become Partners to the Ministry for the Family, Children Rights and Social Solidarity for the Distribution of Food Packages under the Fund for the European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). Interested parties may request a copy of the call document by sending an email to: [procurement.mfss@gov.mt ] clearly indicating advert number: Q58/2018. The Ministry's address is as follows: Ministry for the Family, Children Rights and Social Solidarity Procurement & Supplies Section, 469, Bugeia Institiute, St Joseph High Street, Sta Venera Tel: 2590 3550 Alleviating Food Deprivation for the Most Deprived Persons in Malta Operational Programme 2014- 2020 Tender part-financed by the European Union Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) Co-financing rate: 85% EU Funds; 15% National Funds But the photomontage show- ing the impact of the wheel on views of Valletta from the gra- naries is not taken from the ground. The proponents have also shown photomontages of views enjoyed from the Ferris wheel itself, ranging from the high-rise cacophony at Tigné to amazing views of Valletta. The project has already stirred controversy in Flori- ana whose local council has recently written to the Plan- ning Authority to insist that it vote in any eventual vote on the proposal. Local councils have a right to vote on all ma- jor projects which are decided upon by the PA's planning board but have no vote when decisions are taken by the PA's planning commission, which takes decisions on minor per- mits on a daily basis. The council also said the wheel would disrupt the "over- all grandeur" of the church and the landscape of the granaries, which are also scheduled as a Grade 1 feature. The council asked for clari- fication on whether the struc- ture would be erected on a permanent or temporary ba- sis, noting that the implica- tions would be greater if this is erected permanently. It also expressed concern on the loss of 31 car park spaces. The Ferris wheel, described by its proponent as an "obser- vatory structure" in an appli- cation to the Planning Author- ity, is set to include 36 capsules to each hold six persons. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had called for an assessment of the ground's stability, noting that the granaries are likely to ex- tend below the car park area, and asked for photomontages of long distance views to as- sess the visual impact on the historical skyline and fortifica- tions. The proponent of the 'Malta Eye' is Liam Mangion, the sole owner of Extreme Events, and a shareholder in another pop- ular amusement ride, Sling- shot Malta. When asked why this par- ticular location was chosen, Mangion claimed that he has been studying and getting ex- pert advice since 2008 to find a suitable location in Malta. "The proposed area ticks all the boxes for a successful and iconic attraction, respecting the surroundings, residents, heritage and skyline." Mangion dismissed any fears on the visual impact on Vallet- ta, arguing that similar wheels are found in several leading world heritage locations, in- cluding UNESCO sites. "The wheel will produce a lot of smiles, excitement and posi- tive marketing for our island, whilst respecting the skyline." who do days"