At a dinner held at the 2021 USTOA Annual Conference & Marketplace on December 7 in San Diego, California, it was announced that Malta—originally selected as the host destination for United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) annual Out-of-Country Board Meeting pre-COVID—will host the meeting which has been rescheduled for May 2022 at the Corinthia Palace Hotel. Turkish Airlines will be the official USTOA Malta Board Meeting air carrier and will provide flights to Malta for all the USTOA attendees. Turkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) will host a two-day tour of Istanbul on the return from Malta as part of the USTOA Board Meeting’s event program.
Terry Dale, president and CEO, USTOA, introduced the dinner hosts, Michelle Buttigieg, Malta Tourism Authority representative; Ceylan Sensoy, representative, TGA; and Alp Ozaman, Turkish Airlines. The Malta/Turkey dinner host delegation also included members of the aforementioned delegations, including DMCs and hotels.
“USTOA tour operator members, along with the media, have widely recognized that Malta is definitely a country to be seen and heard from and for that reason we wanted to keep our commitment to Malta to reschedule the meeting as the first post-COVID out of country Board meeting, especially since the destination has acted so responsibly in restricting entry to vaccinated travelers only” said Dale. He added, “Malta’s continued proactive messaging, even during the pandemic, in the North American market is making a huge difference in the minds of tour operators as well as consumers. The Out-of-Country Board Meeting in Malta will provide all the tour operators with an opportunity to experience safely, first-hand why this hidden gem of the Mediterranean, will once again be trending in the U.S. and Canadian travel market.”
According to Buttigieg, “The significance of hosting the first USTOA post-COVID out-of-country Board meeting is especially important for Malta as it will reinforce the fact that Malta is as safe as a country can be at this time, in addition to reaching herd immunity, proof of vaccination is required from all inbound travelers.”
Buttigieg added, “Since MTA rejoined USTOA seven years ago, the number of USTOA tour operators who have added Malta to their itineraries and those who are expanding their Malta tour product, has grown from five to more than 30 in 2019. Hosting the USTOA Out-of-Country Board Meeting will provide a great opportunity for the Board members to experience for themselves why their clients can travel to Malta with confidence as well as have a memorable experience.”
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