© 2010 DOI, Pierre Sammut

16 winners at the MTA’s tourism Star Awards

During the fifth edition of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) STAR Awards, held on the 24th February at the Hotel Phoenicia, 14 employees were awarded for excellence in service and hospitality, while a further two awards were given for the Best Visitor Attraction and the Hotel Worker of the Year.

Concluding the ceremony, the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, the Environment and Culture, the Hon. Dr Mario de Marco emphasised that collaboration between government and all tourism stakeholders is essential in order to ensure quality, competitiveness and continued success of this important sector. He said that Maltese hospitality is still a strong selling point for tourism and he referred to the fact that over 11,000 STAR nominations were received from tourists during 2009. Dr de Marco mentioned government efforts to boost the tourism industry, including increased investment in the opening of new routes, increased marketing and advertising, as well as a number of EU-funded projects to enhance the product on offer. He concluded by saying that infrastructure alone is not enough for a successful tourism industry, and thanked all the nominees for their indispensable contribution.

During his opening speech, the Authority’s CEO Mr Josef Formosa Gauci thanked all the finalists for being true ambassadors of Malta and said that it is an honour for the MTA to recognise each year the STAR performers of the industry, whose commitment to quality contributes directly to a better tourist experience.

The awards in the STAR Service categories are totally consumer-driven and during 2009 more than 11,000 tourist nominations were received, an increase of almost 50% over the previous year. Hundreds of different individuals working in various sectors related to tourism were nominated. From these, the top 3 in each of the 14 categories qualified as finalists. The 14 winners each received a certificate, an 18ct gold lapel-pin and €800 cash prize, whereas the remaining finalists received a certificate and a cash prize of €150.

The winners of the STAR Service Awards for 2009 are:

Charles Abela

—Head waiter, The Victoria Hotel;

Francis Apap

—Taxi driver;

Matthew Balzan

—Historical re-enactor, Saluting Battery;

Edward Caruana

—Tourist guide;

Darren Cutajar

—Car park attendant, Golden Bay;

David Debattista

—Horse-drawn cab driver;

Neal Debono

—Restaurant manager, Ix-Xlukkajr Restaurant;

Paul Farrugia

—Bus driver;

Anthony Fenech

—Coach driver, Ventura Coaches, KoptaCo;

Martin Hall

—Diving instructor, Paradise Diving;

Chandru Mohnani

—Shop owner, Novelty Textiles;

Frederic Pourrut

—Travel representative, Voyage Fram;

Sonia Theuma

—Receptionist, Maria Giovanna Hostel;

Andrew Whibley

—Boatman, A&S Water Taxis

As an incentive for tourists to participate, there is a prize consisting of two complimentary return flights (courtesy of Air Malta) and one-week accommodation for two persons on bed & breakfast basis. The lucky tourist for 2009 was from Belgium and visited Malta last September.

Through the STAR scheme the MTA also awards good quality tourism products. In the past two years the scheme has awarded the Best Visitor Attraction. The selection is carried out by a team of assessors representing three different tourism-related entities and is based on a detailed set of pre-defined criteria. The award for 2009 went to The Limestone Heritage, Siggiewi, with the prize being a certificate, a star-shaped glass trophy and €800 cash prize. The runners-up received a certificate and a cash prize of €150.

The STAR Awards 2009 also featured the popular Hotel Worker of the Year award, held for the second consecutive year. This prestigious award is a staff-driven award whereby exemplary hotel employees are nominated by a group of colleagues, including the hotel manager, for their outstanding performance, commitment and sense of initiative among other qualities. The winner of this award was selected by the STAR Committee which is composed of representatives from five different tourism-related entities. The award for 2009 went to Stuart Psaila from Hilton Malta who received a certificate, an 18ct gold lapel-pin and €800 cash prize. The runners-up received a certificate and a cash prize of €150, while all remaining finalists received a certificate.

Nominations for the Hotel Worker of the Year 2010 will open later on this year, while the STAR Service Awards for 2010 have already begun. Tourist nominations received since January this year will automatically be included in this year’s scheme. Nomination forms are available at various points including several hotels, restaurants, attractions, dive centres, transport operators, all Tourist Information centres and many others. Recipients of a STAR Service Award in 2008 and 2009 will not be eligible for the 2010 STAR Awards.

For further information kindly contact the Quality & HR Development Unit on 22915273 or starscheme@visitmalta.com or go onto the web page www.visitmalta.com/star-awards