Terms and Conditions for the Malta Tourism Awards
1. Scope
The following are the Terms and Conditions for participation in the Malta Tourism Awards organised by the Malta Tourism Authority, hereinafter referred to as “the MTA”.
2. Definitions
“Awards” refers to the Malta Tourism Awards organised by the MTA.
“Eligible Business or Company” refers to an operation within the Maltese Tourism Industry which is actively licensed by MTA or by any other competent National Government entity, and/or carrying an active MTA Quality Assurance seal, at the time of submission of the Nomination Form.
“Entry and Closing Dates” refers to the Tourism Award dates published on the Malta Tourism Observatory website indicating the opening and closing of submission dates.
“Malta Tourism Awards” refers to the awards being organised by the MTA in order to showcase and honour the best local tourism service providers as well as promote, encourage and reward tourism quality service.
“Nomination” refers to the online form that is to be completed as the entry submission using the Malta Tourism Observatory website.
“Nominee” refers to the business and/or the individual who has been nominated for a selected award.
“Selection Committee” shall be a Committee specifically appointed by the MTA for the purpose of the Malta Tourism Awards.
3. Submitting an Entry
Submitting a Nomination Form is free.
All Nominations are to be submitted using the appropriate form through the Malta Tourism Observatory website at www.mtobservatory.org .
By submitting an entry, it is confirmed that the eligible business or company or the applicant agrees to be bound by Terms and Conditions set for the Malta Tourism Awards.
An entry must be submitted by the relevant closing date as published on the Malta Tourism Observatory website.
The MTA reserves the right to alter or change any Terms and Conditions at any time at its discretion.
4. Eligibility
Submissions for the Responsible Tourism Development Award must be related to an investment that has been carried out by an eligible business or company during the year 2024. For this Award the applicant must indicate whether the nomination represents its own establishment, or whether this is on behalf of a consortium or group of companies. Any involved party needs to be an eligible business or company.
Submission for the Tourism Worker of the Year Award must be related to an employee’s performance carried out during the year 2024 working in an eligible business or company.
The Selection Committee reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any nomination entry which the MTA has reason to believe may have breached any of the Terms and Conditions. This including the breach of any of the eligibility requirements or the engagement in any unlawful, fraudulent, misleading, deceptive, or other improper misconduct that may jeopardise the fair and proper conduct of the Malta Tourism Awards.
The Selection Committee accepts no responsibility for any entries lost in transit or not received by the closing time due to technical disruptions or any other reason beyond the control of the MTA.
Finalists will be required to commit to be present during the event.
5. Entry into the Awards
By submitting a Nomination Form for the Responsible Tourism Development Award, the applicant confirms that he/she is in agreement with all parties associated with the project that the submission is making reference to.
By submitting a Nomination Form for the Tourism Worker of the Year Award, the applicant confirms that he/she is in agreement with all the parties associated with the Nominee’s employment and the employee.
The Applicant must have all the necessary rights required by law to submit the entry and shall be responsible that all the information submitted is true, current and complete, up to the date of submission.
All details are to be submitted at application stage. Applications which are not duly filled will not be considered.
Applicants have the facility to save their applications as draft for further editing. Once officially submitted, no further editing is permitted to the application. Any applications still saved as draft versions following the closing date shall not be considered as valid and shall be automatically disqualified.
Any claim relating to the Nomination must be backed up with sufficient evidence of such claim. Additional data or information may be requested at the discretion of the Selection Committee during the selection process.
All information provided in the Nomination Form will be treated with the strictest confidence. No information will be disclosed to third parties, other than those involved in the running and selection of the Awards, without the prior written consent of the applicant.
The MTA reserves the right to use the Nominee’s name and logo for promotional purposes of the Tourism Awards. The name of the Nominee and the logo will be used in the exact form provided by the Nominee.
6. Entry and Closing Dates
The Selection Committee reserves the right to extend or vary the entry period if required.
The entry and the closing dates will be announced on the Awards page of the Malta Tourism Observatory website (www.mtobservatory.org).
7. Selection
A Selection Committee will be appointed by the MTA composed of representatives of the local tourism industry.
Members of the Selection Committee will sign a confidentiality agreement and will be expected to be as fair and transparent as possible in the choices made.
For the Responsible Tourism Development Award, there will be one winner, one first runner-up and one second runner-up per award category. Only one proposal can be submitted per eligible business or company for this entry and the proposal has to be implemented for the benefit of the establishment’s tourism facility / service.
For the Tourism Worker of the Year Award there will be one winner per eligible sector. Only one employee nomination can be submitted by an eligible business or company for this award which needs to fall under one of the listed sectors permitted for this Award.
The Selection Committee members, reserve the right to allocate no award in any or all categories or sectors if, in their opinion, the nominations are of insufficient merit.
The Selection Committee's decisions are final and irrevocable.
There will be no private communication between the individual Selection Committee members and applicants, nominees or any of their representatives regarding judging criteria, process, and/or decisions. The Selection Committee reserves the right to officially establish communication with applicants should there be the necessity to hold interviews with shortlisted companies or individuals during the selection process.
The Selection Process will commence after the closing date.
8. Awards
The Malta Tourism Awards consist of the following:
Responsible Tourism Development Award
Categories
Nominations can be submitted in one of the following categories:
~ Responsible Tourism Development - Best Accommodation
~ Responsible Tourism Development - Best Travel and Tourism
~ Responsible Tourism Development - Best Visitor Attraction
~ Responsible Tourism Development - Best Catering Establishment
Criteria
Submissions must satisfy a minimum of one of the following criteria:
1. Smart Tourism and Digitalisation;
2. Human Resources Training and Upskilling;
3. Sustainability and Decarbonisation
Nominations submitted are encouraged to satisfy as many of the above criteria as possible since this will affect the ranking.
Tourism Worker of the Year Award
Sectors
The following sectors are eligible for nomination:
~ Accommodation
~ Catering
~ Travel and Tourism Services (Incoming Travel Agencies, Destination Management Companies, Excursion Organisers and Tourist Guides)
~ Visitor Attraction
~ Diving Centre
~ English Language Learning (Schools / Host Families)
Criteria
Submissions that satisfy multiple criteria from the following list, will receive a higher ranking:
1. The employee has shown exemplary performance in daily operations;
2. The employee has exhibited exceptional customer service skills, going above and beyond to ensure positive experiences for tourists and visitors;
3. The employee has demonstrated leadership, creativity and teamwork;
4. The employee was an active participant in Corporate Responsibility programmes or voluntary work through a registered NGO;
5. The employee carried out any other commendable actions worth mentioning.
9. Evaluation Criteria and Weightings
Responsible Tourism Development Award Nominations for each of the following:
~ Best Accommodation
~ Best Travel & Tourism
~ Best Visitor Attraction
~ Best Catering Establishment
Total Maximum Score – 40; Total Minimum Score required – 20
Tourism Worker of the Year Award Nominations in the following sectors:
~ Accommodation (including F&B)
~ Catering
~ Travel and Tourism Services
~ Visitor Attraction
~ Diving Centre
~ English Language Learning
Total Maximum Score – 55; Total Minimum Score required – 30
10. Final Stage and Announcement of Winners
The Selection Committee will shortlist a number of nominations from each Category. The winner from each Category will be announced during the awards ceremony.
Shortlisted Nominees will be advised by email. They are expected to collaborate by providing any required information that may be needed in the preparation for the event. They may also be required to attend an interview with the Selection Committee.
Nominees that do not make it to the shortlist stage will be informed via email.