Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1513566
21.12.2023 3 NEWS 21.12.2023 THE Malta Tourism Authority held its first National Tourism Conference since 2006, aligning with the Malta Tourism Strategy 2021-2030. e con- ference, which aims to become an an- nual fixture, was themed "Embracing Pathways to Sustainability". e con- ference focused on aligning with the Government's objectives and policy direction, as well as the Malta Tourism Strategy's commitment to rethinking the future development of tourism in Malta. e conference was divided into three distinct components with the first featuring keynote speeches by the Hon. Prime Minister Robert Abela, Hon. Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo, MTA CEO Carlo Micallef, and MTA Deputy CEO Leslie Vella. CEO Micallef highlighted 2023 results and 2024 prospects, while Deputy CEO Vella discussed the Malta Tour- ism Observatory's work in executing the strategy, particularly focusing on sustainability indicators. e second component of the confer- ence featured four panel discussions, covering key topics such as "Connec- tivity & Airlines," "Climate Change and Sustainability," "Tourism Product Redefined," and "Futureproofing Tour- ism." Panels included industry experts, moderated by prominent figures. e final part of the conference fea- tured the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the MTA and the Global Sustainable Tourism Coun- cil (GSTC), followed by an interactive session on "Future Tourism Scenarios and eir Impacts on Malta's Tour- ism Strategy" moderated by Professor Ian Yeoman. MTA Chairman Gavin Gulia concluded the conference with a speech. Renowned presenter Keith Demicoli moderated and presented the entire conference, which was livestreamed and recorded for wider accessibility. e conference also served as an op- portunity for the distribution of the first edition of the annual publication, "Malta Tourism Insights". It featured contributions from various authors covering the conference's key topics. MTA Chairman Gavin Gulia stat- ed that "this conference marked a pivotal moment for Malta's tourism industry, bringing together key stake- holders to address sustainability and future-proofing strategies." CEO Carlo Micallef commented that the conference was a significant step towards achieving a robust and sus- tainable tourism sector in Malta as the objective of tourism industry recovery has been reached and surpassed earli- er than expected and Malta's tourism industry gears itself to rethink and re- vitalise with sustainability central in MTA's plans for the future. Deputy CEO Leslie Vella said that the conference was the first large- scale public event organised by the Malta Tourism Observatory with the objective of ensuring a wider level of stakeholder engagement based on the availability of a wider source of tour- ism and sustainability indicators being formulated by the Observatory. MTA holds national tourism conference on embracing pathways to sustainability Tourism minister Clayton Bartolo (top) and MTA chairman Gavin Gulia (above) addressing the conference MALTA Enterprise organised a kick-off workshop with players from the semicon- ductors sector and academia to discuss the setting up of a Competence Centre. is sought to explore how players in the local eco-system can synergies to- gether in this realm and to gauge better how to maximise the opportunities under the Chips Act. e initiative brought together leaders from across the semiconductor commu- nity, including businesses of various sizes and academia, who were given space to interact and voice out their reflections on the setting up of a competence centre. is initiative was organised following a number of talks which Malta Enter- prise held in Brussels last month with DG Connect and IMEC, the world's leading R&D and innovation hub in na- noelectronics and digital technologies and the recent Government commit- ment on the establishment of a Malta Competence Centre which comes out of the background negotiations from the European Chips Act. is strategic move will seek to leverage on the vast experience that Malta has in the semiconductor sector whilst simulta- neously exploring new niches. is will ultimately contribute to investment, the creation of quality employment opportu- nities, technological transfer and exports. Josephine Vassallo Parnis, Head EU Af- fairs at Malta Enterprise stated that the EU Chips Act is a window of opportunity to our players. We strongly believe that having a competence centre will be an im- portant key to open the door to EU fund- ing and other tools that are being made available through the Chips Fund. Kurt Farrugia, CEO Malta Enterprise expressed his satisfaction on the work being carried out by Malta Enterprise to drive the semiconductors eco-system to new heights. e Competence Centre fits in the strat- egy to consolidate and develop further the local activity within the value chain. Reference was made to the important milestone that Malta and STMicroelec- tronics achieved under the second call for Important Projects of Common Europe- an Interests (IPCEI) in the semiconductor sector. He also applauded the engagement and enthusiasm expressed by the participants who were present for this first workshop. Dr Jo De Boeck, Executive Vice Presi- dent & Chief Strategist Officer of IMEC and Matthew Xuereb, Policy Expert at DG Connect addressed the audience. Malta Enterprise organises workshop to discuss setting up a Competence Centre