Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1269641
16.07.2020 4 NEWS Marnisi under the stars MALTA'S largest producer of premi- um wine, Marsovin, will once again be holding Marnisi Under e Stars - e Marsovin Grape Harvest Feast at their Marnisi Estate in Marsaxlokk. e event will be held on a number of nights in July and August, being the 24th & 25th of July and the 13th & 14th of August. The event is a celebration of the start of Marsovin's grape harvest for vintage 2020, whilst giving patrons the opportunity to enjoy the wines produced from the Marnisi Estate and other Marsovin premium wines in the idyllic setting of the vineyard. For those who wish to have a closer look, guided vineyard tours will also be held between 19:00 & 20:00hrs by Marsovin's wine specialists. Tours start half an hour before the event official opening time. Marsovin will be following the guidelines in place recommended by the health authorities for outdoor events, what more the attendance capping will be reduced significantly to ensure that there is ample space for people to move around. For this reason, those who wish to attend are advised to book early as ticket sales will be restricted. The winery is giving top priority to #supportlocal. To this effect, the se- lected caterer for the event, BRIJU, will be creating a delectable menu using only locally sourced Maltese ingredients. Marsovin has engaged a great line up of bands to keep their patrons entertained. Cutting edge blues band – Vinyl Paradise, performing on the 24th July; gyp- sy-jazz band – Hot Club of Valletta performing on the 25th July & 14th August; and popular swing band – Swing Nuages performing on the 13th August. Ticket Sales A limited amount of tickets have been released and will be sold on a first come first serve basis. Tickets are being sold at €35 per person, which include: Entrance, Vineyard Tour be- tween 19:00 & 20:00hrs, a wine glass to use during the event and take home, Marsovin's premium wine throughout the evening. Wines served will also include pre- mium Antonin Noir & award winning Marnisi Organic both of which are made from grapes grown on the very same Marnisi Estate. Tickets: www.marsovinwinery.com THE Malta De- velopers Associ- ation (MDA) is extremely con- cerned over the excessive bu- reaucracy being e n c o u n t e r e d by its members and calls on the gov- ernment and its authorities to tackle the issue head-on before it is too late. Noting the positive effect which post-Covid-19 tax reduction measures - suggested by the MDA and in- troduced by the government - have already had on the economy, the MDA is being inundated with reports of excessive bureaucracy across the board, which is stifling investment. rough various positive measures such as the lowering of taxes on property sales, we have already witnessed strong growth in the sector, so much so that sales in June were re- portedly already at the same level as June of last year. MDA points out that the country is seriously risking a total collapse in investment, as overwhelming bureaucra- cy by various government departments, authorities and the banks, are becoming next to impossible, with many stakeholders almost giving up on their investment plans. Seeing that post-Covid bureaucracy has reached un- precedented levels, never seen in the last 25 years, the MDA calls on all those concerned to pull up their socks immediately and make sure that businessmen and inves- tors are not hassled, but encouraged to invest, as this is the only way how the country can start the long road to recovery. e MDA calls for concrete improvement to various systems and to have proper and efficient processes in- troduced. e MDA is at the disposal of all authorities to discuss further ways on how, while respecting the rules, the industry can move forward. Excessive bureaucracy stifling economic recovery - MDA AS of 1 July, Malta started wel- coming tourists from a number of countries and, as of yesterday, the travel ban was lifted from all countries. is was definitely a breath of fresh air for the tour- ism industry, including AX Ho- tels. Once the restrictions started being eased, AX Hotels took the decision to open almost all out- lets. With the airport re-open- ing, all of the Group's hotels have re-opened to welcome both tourists and locals. During the first week of open- ing, AX Hotels received over 600 guests and occupancy levels are forecasted to be in the region of over 25% for the month of July. e major markets for these guests included the strong mar- kets of UK, France, Germany and Italy. Julia Farrugia Portelli, Minister for Tourism and Consumer Pro- tection visited AX e Palace on Wednesday 8 to meet the hotel's in-house guests and share a cele- bratory drink with them. Kammile Nielsen and her fam- ily were among AX e Palace's guests. is is the Nielsen fami- ly's fifth time visiting the Maltese Islands and they have chosen AX Hotels four times. Claire Zammit Xuereb, Hos- pitality Director at AX Hotels said the Group was extremely honoured and humbled by the customers' response towards the re-opening. "It is indeed clear that, through- out the years and through our endless hard work, we have gained the public's trust," she said. "e Nielsen family are a clear example of this trust and the impeccable guest experience that our hotels offer. AX Hotels strived to continuously work dil- igently and in a sustainable man- ner for a better future for the tourism industry'. AX Hotels owns seven hotels in Sliema, Qawra and Valletta and 17 restaurants including the re- cently awarded MICHELIN star restaurant, Under Grain. Over 600 guests at AX hotels in the first opening week From left: Julia Farrugia Portelli, Minister for Tourism, Claire Zammit Xuereb, Hospitality Director AX Hotels, Kammile Nielsen and her family, Kevin Callus, General Manager at AX Hotels Sliema, with AX The Palace Staff