L-R: Thomas Cook’s Overseas Purchasing Director, Mr Philip Poile and MTA CEO, Josef Formosa Gauci

Malta Tourism Authority signs deals with Thomas Cook and Saga

The Malta Tourism Authority has signed two long-term, marketing support agreements with British tour operators Thomas Cook and Saga Holidays, aimed at increasing tourist flows from the UK. These agreements encompass all facets of the companies marketing opportunities, ranging from joint TV & print advertising to online activity and high street exposure. By means of these, the Malta Tourism Authority is moving away from season-by-season agreements that focus on the short term, in favour of longer-term plans that place significant emphasis on incremental business.

In the presence of Dr Mario de Marco, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, and Mr Louis Farrugia, Chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority, Mr. Josef Formosa Gauci, the MTAs CEO, signed a four-year strategic agreement with Thomas Cooks Overseas Purchasing Director, Mr Philip Poile and Thomas Cook Contracts Manager in charge of Malta, Mr. Ray Manara, as well as a three-year agreement with Ms.Helen Adamson, Customer Marketing Director for Saga Holidays. The agreements were signed in London, last week.

Dr de Marco, commented that: Thomas Cook and Saga Holidays are two of the key tour operator partners for Malta, where through such agreements, the operators are showing their faith in Malta as a strong tourism destination for U.K visitors in the coming years. Likewise, the MTA is endorsing the importance of tour operator traffic, where in an ever-evolving marketplace, packaged travel remains a key component of the overall business mix delivery to the Islands.

MTA CEO, Josef Formosa Gauci, added that these agreements demonstrate the operators commitment to the destination and are performance related, thus incentivising Thomas Cook and SAGA to provide incremental delivery of tourists to the Islands over the next four years and three years respectively.

Thomas Cook Group pls is one of the worlds leading travel groups, operating a portfolio of market-leading travel brands in 21 markets, whereas Saga Holidays is an operator specialising in the over 50s travel market, providing holidays to worldwide destinations, including cruises on its own ships. Malta is also being recognized as one of Sagas key destinations in its forthcoming programmes.