Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/673696
43 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 MAY 2016 Rewarding excellence at the Tourism Star Awards EVERY year hundreds of employees forming part of the local tourism in- dustry are nominated by people vis- iting our Islands. During 2015, the Malta Tourism Authority received close to 7,000 nominations. Work- ers were nominated for their 'heart of gold', 'service with a smile' and 'happy attitude' while others were nominated for their knowledge, professionalism and efficiency. The Special Thanks And Recogni- tion (STAR) Awards have been run- ning for the past eleven years and have since served as an opportunity to recognise outstanding individu- als who go beyond their regular du- ties to deliver a high quality service. The STAR Awards 2015 ceremony took place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre and this year's winners were announced as follows: • Paulina Kurowska – Diving Instructor, Paradise Diving Centre; • Anthony Fenech – Coach Driver, Zarb Coaches; • Francis Apap – Taxi Driver; • Doreen Scicluna – Falconer, Malta Falconry Centre; • Sonia Teuma – Front Of- fice, Maria Giovanna Guest House, Gozo; • Charles Abela – Restaurant Manager, The Victoria Hotel; • Barbara Pucciarmati – Sales Representative, Tourist In- formation; • Anna Aquilina – Tourist Guide; • Thesesa Taliana – Hotel Worker of the Year, Pergola Hotel & Spa; and • Stuart Burke – Recognition award for his contribution to the tourism industry. It is the tourists themselves who drive the process by nominating those individuals who made their stay in Malta special. Nomination forms are available for tourists from most hotels and tourism informa- tion centers around Malta and Go- zo. Applications are also available online from star-awards.visitmalta. com or by scanning the QR code on the brochure. Businesses, hotels and service providers are encouraged to partici- pate in this scheme. STAR Awards nomination forms can be collected directly from the Malta Tourism Authority or delivered against or- der. For more information contact the Quality & Industry HR Develop- ment Unit at the Malta Tourism Authority on starscheme@visitmal- ta.com or (+356) 22915122. Hotel Worker of the Year Ms Thesesa Taliana, Pergola Hotel & Spa Alicia Keys to perform at UEFA Champions League final UEFA and Pepsi are excited to an- nounce that for the first time ever, the UEFA Champions League Fi- nal will feature a global live music headline performance as part of the opening ceremony pageantry. Taking place on May 28th at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Mi- lan, Italy, the "UEFA Champions League Final Opening Ceremony presented by Pepsi" will feature Alicia Keys as the inaugural artist to usher in a new live entertain- ment era for the UEFA Champi- ons League Final. Airing in more than 220 countries, the UEFA Champions League Final is the most watched annual sporting event in the world. "I'm extremely excited to share my new music at the UEFA Cham- pions League Final, an event that is celebrated in every corner of the world," said Alicia Keys. "This is going to be a powerful moment in history and one that represents the spirit of all the similarities we share no matter where we live and who we are. I'm honoured to be a special part of such a beloved ex- perience." This year's "UEFA Champions League Final Opening Ceremony presented by Pepsi" will merge the worlds of world-class music, entertainment and sports, as well as celebrate design and fashion as a nod to the host city, Milan. "Music, entertainment and sports have always been a vital part of the Pepsi DNA. We are the brand that invented entertain- ment marketing and continue to push creative boundaries," said Carla Hassan, SVP, Global Brand Management, Global Beverage Group, PepsiCo. "By creating a global stage as part of the UEFA Champions League Final for the first time, Pepsi will produce an epic, mem- orable moment that will draw an even broader global fan base to the pitch, elevate the excitement of the 2016 final, and establish a new tradition for one of the world's most beloved sport spec- tacles." The revived opening ceremony marks an expansion of PepsiCo's existing partnership with the UE- FA Champions League, bringing one of the world's most passion- ate musicians to a massive global audience and further heightens the excitement and grandeur of the world's most watched annual sporting event. PepsiCo initially joined forces with the UEFA Champions League in 2015, an- nouncing a partnership with the prestigious European club foot- ball tournament where Lay's, Gatorade and Pepsi MAX / Pepsi serve as lead brands for the com- petition. Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director, commented, "With an iconic and storied his- tory in music, Pepsi was the ideal partner to bring an epic music performance to the world's most watched annual sporting event for the first time, and UEFA is delighted that Alicia Keys will be performing in Milan. The UEFA Champions League Final is the ultimate stage in European foot- ball, bringing together the two best teams on the continent. With such a highly respected and truly global artist performing ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final, it heightens even further the appeal of the match and con- sequently will reach a broader audience demographic, which ul- timately further strengthens the global status of UCL." In addition to the "UEFA Cham- pions League Final Opening Ceremony presented by Pepsi" performance, Keys – who re- cently joined Season 11 of NBC's hit show The Voice in the United States and will release her 8th al- bum this year – will be featured in a variety of integrated campaign elements leading up to the perfor- mance. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/uefachampi- onsleague Three wins for Emirates at Business Traveller ME awards EMIRATES has once again topped the industry with its wins at the Business Traveller Awards 2016, taking home the coveted 'Best Air- line Worldwide' title, and two fur- ther awards including Airline with the Best Economy Class, and Air- line with the Best Cabin Staff. The Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2016 were presented at a gala dinner attended by travel in- dustry professionals, and were cho- sen through a voting process open to the readers of the publication. Representing the airline at the Business Traveller ME awards, Thierry Antinori, Emirates' Execu- tive Vice President and Chief Com- mercial Officer, said: "Customers have always been at the heart of whatever we do. That is why we continually invest in developing high quality products on board, and our cosmopolitan cabin crew put in every effort to deliver exceptional service. We are honoured to be rec- ognised for our efforts by Business Traveller Middle East's discerning readers, and we will work hard to keep raising the bar to meet and ex- ceed our customers' expectations." These prestigious accolades are a testament to Emirates' commit- ment to service excellence and in- novation across its different areas of business. The airline continues to be a leader in defining the air travel experience, offering an award- winning in-flight entertainment system that features the broadest range of entertainment content and the largest personal in-seat screens in Economy class; regionally in- spired gourmet cuisine in all cabin classes; free Wi-Fi onboard all its 77 A380 aircraft and many of its Boe- ing 777s, and iconic products such as private suites in First Class, its A380 Onboard Lounge and First Class Shower spa, amongst others. With over 23,000 cabin crew representing over 130 nationali- ties, Emirates is able to deliver a memorable and personal travel ex- perience to its diverse customers, which have become the hallmark of its service. Emirates operates daily sched- uled flights between Malta and Dubai. Emirates flies twice weekly to Malta, on Mondays and Wednes- days, via Larnaca in Cyprus, and on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fri- days and Saturdays the airline op- erates the Dubai – Malta route on a circular routing via Tunisia. The return flight flies direct from Malta to Dubai. Emirates wins three prestigious awards at the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2016: 'Best airline Worldwide', 'Best Economy Class' and best 'Cabin Crew Service