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4 NEWS 12.1.2023 Chamber of SMEs launches SME Barometer with MISCO THE Malta Chamber of SMEs has launched the SME Barometer in collabo- ration with MISCO. e SME Barometer will present quar- terly surveys which give insights through scientific data on economic trends, busi- ness sentiment and state of enterprises in Malta. Malta Chamber of SMEs CEO, Abigail Agius Mamo said that the SME Chamber conducts regular research with its mem- ber. "We are proud to enhance an already successful practice through our collab- oration with MISCO. MISCO is surely a household name in research, which is synonymous with excellence and of ad- mirable repute. e SME Chamber is therefore proud to partner with MISCO to bring to the fore economic and social indicators for the benefit and service of the business community and the country as a whole." Data gathered will be made available to the general public and will provide visi- bility on the most important issues our country and enterprises are facing peri- odically. e SME Barometer will also be key in identifying future threats and pro- pose ways on how these can be mitigated. MISCO founding partner Lawrence Zammit, said: "Over the last 40 years MISCO has sought to contribute to a better understanding of Malta's business environment. MISCO is proud to collab- orate with the Malta Chamber of SMEs through its expertise and insight on this project, which it hopes will become a point of reference for the business sector and for policy makers." e first joint survey conducted will be the annual business performance survey published shortly, later on in January. MTA appoints new director for France CLAUDE Zammit Trevisan (pictured) has been appointed as the Malta Tour- ism Authority's new director in France. Based in Paris, within the Embassy of Malta, Zammit Trevisan will be taking over from Dominic Micallef, to lead the team in France while overseeing the execution and the implementation of the MTA's marketing strategy for the region, working closely with the mar- keting department in Malta, to further strengthen France's position as one of Malta's main tourism source markets. Zammit Trevisan joined the MTA in 1999 and served in the MTA offices in the United Kingdom and Italy, and also in France, where he has previous- ly served as country manager at a time when airline connectivity between France and Malta was strengthened, re- sulting in further development of tour- ism from France as well as double-digit growth. More recently Zammit Trevisan was responsible for business development in emerging geographic markets for Mal- ta, including the Middle East and North African Region, Japan and South Korea. Over the past four years incoming tourism from France kept increasing at a very encouraging rate, with more than 226,000 tourists visiting between January and October last year, result- ing in a 6% increase when compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 – an increase which also manifests itself in number of bed nights and average tour- ist spend. "I am delighted to have been appoint- ed at a moment where Malta continues to assert itself as a tourism destination of choice on the French market," Zam- mit Trevisan said. "Since my departure from France in 2015, outbound tourism to Malta has continued to grow steadily. I inherit a strong team set-up, ably led by outgoing director Dominic Micallef. e MTA team has been key to ensure the long- term success of the destination. I am committed to maintain the same mo- mentum and continue our journey to nurture relationships with key tourism players in France." Lawrence Zammit, left, with Chamber president Paul Abela, and CEO Abigail Agius Mamo

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