New directors - International Marketing, Marketing Support and Development - appointed at the Malta Tourism Authority

Joseph Galea is the Malta Tourism Authority’s new International Marketing Director, with effect from the 21st of November 2006. Mr. Galea’s primary responsibilities will include cultivating and strengthening ties with existing Tour Operators whilst establishing rapports with new Tour Operators in existing and new markets. Mr. Galea will be based in Frankfurt, which means, essentially, that he will be closer to the core markets and, thus, in a better position to have more flexibility in meeting business partners. Joseph Galea has been working with the Malta Tourism Authority for the past 18 years and, since 1994, was based in the MTA’s Frankfurt office, which is responsible for the German, Austrian, Swiss and Central European markets. Since January of 2006 Mr. Galea was also responsible for the Tour Operator and Leisure Market Segment. Followign a call for applications, the MTA has appointed Ms. Anke Blecher as Marketing Manager to take over the running of the Frankfurt Office.

Leslie Vella is the MTA’s newly-appointed Director of Marketing Support and Development. He has been working in the Malta Tourism Authority and its predecessor the National Tourism Organisation of Malta since 1983. During this period he has served as Deputy Director of the organisation’s London Office between 1989 and 1991, Research and Planning Manager between 1992 and 1999, Director of Corporate Services between 1999 and 2001 and CEO between 2001 and 2004. In January 2005, he took up the post of Head of Research of the Malta Tourism Authority and in November 2006 was appointed to this new position. Leslie Vella has been Chairman of the Market Intelligence Group of the European Travel Commission (ETC) since 1997 and has sat on the ETC’s Board of Directors uninterruptedly since 1999. Since 2001 he has been Malta’s representative on the World Tourism Organisation’s Market Intelligence and Promotion Committee. Leslie Vella lectures in tourism marketing at the University of Malta.

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