Conference sector growing in importance

The conference and incentive sector is now responsible for about 60,000 visitors to the islands a year, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said yesterday.

While addressing buyers at the launching of a Malta supplement in the Convegni publication, he said conference and incentive delegates form about four per cent of all tourist arrivals.

Each delegate spends about three times as much as an average tourist. Excluding expenditure per delegate while in Malta, this sector accounts for seven per cent of total gross earnings from tourism.

The Conference and Incentive Travel Division in the Malta Tourism Authority negotiated an advertising agreement with the Convegni publication which, apart from the advertising space it is offering Malta at the best prices, committed itself to prepare a Malta supplement for the October edition.

The CIT section agreed with Convegni to bring over to Malta a group of Italian buyers for a familiarisation visit.

The group is made up of representatives from companies that include Coca Cola Bevande, Siae Microelettronica, Cabota Sim, Henkel, Microsoft, S3C Italia, WAYS, Biomet Merck, Lisap Group, PCO per Euronics, Invite and Eqipe Management.