Malta 'unlikely to lose' from sale of German operator

German tour operating company Frosch Turistik (FTi) has been sold back by Manchester-based MyTravel to its original owners.

Frosch is the biggest contributor of German tourists to Malta.

Industry sources said yesterday it was too early to say with certainty whether Malta would gain, or lose, following the sale but it was unlikely to lose since "new" owner Dietmar Gunz has a strong, long-standing connection with Malta.

FTi has always had a special connection with Malta and it featured the island prominently in its programmes as soon as it started operating.

Mr Gunz was also one of the pioneers of teaching English in Malta through an FTi subsidiary, LAL Sprachreisen.

Some years ago, Mr Gunz had sold his shareholding in FTi to MyTravel, which bought the rest of the company two years ago, downsizing its programme to Malta and other destinations.

FTi was sold for a nominal fee after making an operating loss of £31.2 million in the year ended September 30.

The sources said that although it was too early to say whether Frosch would now be increasing its programme to Malta, it was clear that Mr Gunz and his partner, Lars Thuesen, formerly on the board of directors of MyTravel, had plans for the company.

The sale of Frosch by MyTravel (formerly Airtours) was the latest in a string of disposals and other measures taken by MyTravel to reduce its net debts, which stood at £628.5 million in March. In July the group also sold a timeshare resort in Florida.

Frosch is the fifth largest tour operator in Germany and the largest German tour operator for Malta.