FOREIGN AGENTS ON MALTA FAMILIARISATION TRIP
 FAM Trip Group 2008 |
Representatives from a number of Malta’s foremost English language schools have just returned from participating in the StudyWorld Fair which was held at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel. This event is English UK’s premier international study-abroad workshop. This year almost 900 representatives from educational institutions in 17 countries and agents from 52 world markets attended the fair.
A special feature of the of StudyWorld Fair is the programme of familiarisation trips which immediately follow the three-day event. These familiarisation trips are designed to give agents first hand experience of what each region has to offer. This year there was a choice of ten trips to 8 different locations: Oxford and Cambridge, Bournemouth, Central England, Yorkshire & Northumberland, Scotland, Ireland, Malta, and Spain,
FELTOM organised a familiarisation visit to Malta for a group of 9 foreign agents. The agents flew to Malta at the end of the StudyWorld workshop accompanied by the President of FELTOM, Andrew Mangion. During the 3-day trip the agents had the opportunity of visiting a number of FELTOM member schools, as well as cultural sites in Valletta and Mdina. The tours of Malta’s historic cities included visits to the Malta Experience, Palazzo Falson and the Mdina Cathedral.
On the first evening of the visit, during a Maltese themed reception held at Razzett L-Antik, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Dr. Mario De Marco welcomed the agents who came from various countries including China, Colombia, Lithuania, Turkey, Poland, Mauritius, Hungary, Russia and the United Kingdom,
All the participating agents agreed that visiting the island to gain first-hand experience, was the best way for them to be able to promote Malta as a quality destination for learning English. The visits to a number of FELTOM accredited schools highlighted the quality standards which are now required for all FELTOM member organisations.
Given Malta’s size, several agents expressed surprise at the noticeable difference in the character of schools, and the wide choice available to clients . In addition the agents were impressed by extent of Malta’s cultural heritage.
FELTOM stressed the importance of such familiarisation visits when considering the expansion of the tourism market. Many of the agents participating in this trip had never visited Malta before and came from countries not regarded as traditional markets for the Maltese tourism product. In addition they represent markets which are more likely to send longer term clients during the winter and shoulder months.
FELTOM would like to thank The Malta Tourism Authority, Palazzo Falson, The Malta Experience, Margarita Garage, Koptaco and the Palace Hotel for their kind sponsorship of the Trip.