Strategy 20.

To deliver National Convention and Events Facilities to enable Malta to engage in a more extensive, year-round, calendar of activities and events in all-weather facilities and for different delegate and audience sizes.

 

Rationale

As tourism becomes a more segmented personalised experiential activity, destinations need to increasingly cater for a type of visitor who is not satisfied solely by visiting static locations or attractions but who is placing increased demands on a more active visit during all twelve months of the year.

Such visitors range from those arriving in the destination for the purpose of conferences, conventions and other types of business-related large gatherings to others visiting for more leisure-oriented reasons centred around the organisation of a variety of events, be they cultural, sportive, musical, family oriented or special-interest in nature.

Malta today competes with a huge number of destinations which have invested heavily in their receptive infrastructure for the attraction of events. The availability of such infrastructure allows for the more sustainable organisation of a year-round events calendar based on the peace-of-mind of the availability of a range of modern, all-weather facilities suitable for different types of events and activities aimed at different delegate and audience sizes.

Until such facilities are in place, Malta will continue to operate as a destination with a fragmented and unreliable offer dependent on the irregular or seasonal availability of venues designed for alternative use.

In designing such infrastructure, Malta needs to emulate best practice by identifying destinations who excel in this field. Priority must also be given to carbon-neutral, sustainable technologies which minimize impacts and stand as beacons of the destination’s commitment to a more sustainable tourism activity which is also future proofed in terms of its impacts and adaptability.

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Objective

To encourage the design and delivery of additional national convention and events facilities featuring best practice in terms of environmental and carbon neutral facilities and technologies. To aim for facilities which will make Malta a highly attractive and competitive events and meetings destination during all twelve months of the year. To ensure a versatile design to make such facilities utilizable for the widest possible range of meetings, activities and events and to integrate their design with important elements such as accommodation, transport and access to other tourism facilities in as seamless a manner as possible.

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Goals and Actions

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GOAL 1
Engage with the relevant industry stakeholders to identify market needs, developments and opportunities to be able to identify gaps and limitations in Malta’s current offer. Bring identified stakeholders together in an ad hoc Working Group to provide further direction in the execution of this Strategy.

Actions

 

Action 1.  Task a Stakeholder Group with contributing to the delivery of this Goal and set up a Working Group to produce required output and participate in giving direction in reaching objectives.
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GOAL 2

Investigate and understand international trends and forecasts for the sector and study their applicability for the local scene. Study the Convention and Events offer of selectedcompeting and leading destinations within the wider context of location, infrastructuralrequirements, spin-offs, economic and social impacts, transport and connectivity andsupport services.

Actions

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Action 1.  Commission a Report on the International Conventions and Events Sector as per Goal 2 with applicability to Malta and combine its findings with those emerging from Goal 1.
 

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GOAL 3

Produce a Master Plan for the development of this sector presenting options, developmentmodels and relevant forecasts and feasibilities.

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Actions

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Action 1.  Use the findings emerging from Goals 1 and 2 to formulate a Master Plan for the structured development of this sector of the Maltese tourism offer.

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