WATCH: Marketing fund for holiday homes, boutique hotels & tourist villages launched

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has announced two new schemes as part of the Government’s €20 million aid package to assist Malta & Gozo’s ailing tourism sector ahead of the country’s 1st June reopening to international tourism.

The first, with an allocated budget of €1.5 million, applies to ‘holiday furnished premises’, also known as self-catering establishments such as villas, farmhouses and apartments, as well as to tourist villages, boutique hotels, guest houses, hostels and two-star hotels.

Guesthouses and boutique hotels will be eligible for €1,000 per establishment to be spent on marketing efforts to attract tourists. Two-star hotels are eligible for €500 each, while holiday furnished premises and licensed hostels will be eligible for €250 each, all for marketing expenses.

Those interested are requested to apply with the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) where they will be asked to present documentation proving that funds have really been spent on marketing, whether physical through print or digitally, such as Google ads and social media.

“This scheme helps Malta’s overall marketing efforts abroad by helping us to achieve our maximum potential,” Minister Bartolo said.

MICE scheme

The second scheme relates to the MICE industry: Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions. With an allocated budget of €4 million, those interested in organising conferences in Malta are encouraged to apply for a subsidy which will see the MTA disburse funds in accordance with how many attended, under a number of conditions.

The MTA will accept one application per conference, which can be submitted directly by the foreign client, through the local destination management company or through the hotel the conference is taking place at.

Applications will be considered on a first come first serve basis, and at conferences where organisers are spending between €600 and €800 per attendee, organisers are eligible to receive a €75-per-attendee subsidy from the MTA.

Conferences where per-person expenditure exceeds €800, organisers are eligible to receive €100 per attendee.

To be eligible, the conference must have a minimum of 10 attendees who spend at least two nights in Malta.

Minister Bartolo stressed that applications must include signed contracts showing the conference will be taking place in Malta or Gozo. Conferences taking place from this point onwards until end 2022 could be eligible for the scheme.

He added that a series of technical webinars will be held by the MTA to provide further details

Four schemes announced so far

As part of the €20 million tourism aid package, today’s announcement takes the total up to four schemes. Last week, the Tourism Minister announced the free individual traveller scheme, with funds being made available to a pre-set number of international tourists when they book directly with five-star, four-star and three-star hotels in Malta.

Here, Minister Bartolo revealed that 57 per cent of relevant hotels in Malta and Gozo have already contacted the MTA to learn more about the scheme.

In addition, a travel operator scheme was also announced for foreign tour operators marketing Malta as a travel destination.