Photo: St John’s Co Cathedral, Valletta, was built by the Knights of Malta between 1573 and 1578
To Nair in all of history the Mediterranean has been a melting pot of extraordinary expeditions, cultures, artists, people and without
doubt one of the most important commercial hubs of the world.
countries suffer from but which
seems to hit some Mediterranean
destinations particularly hard in
winter. Here there should also be
the possibility of combining tourism packages more intelligently.
One of the main aims of the Foundation is to propagate sustainable
tourism in the Mediterranean and
this can help protect the identities
of the territories and peoples in
the tourist areas
Vincenzo Silvestrelli, another
member of the advisory council
of MTF, is a lawyer by profession
but has had a multi-faceted career, having held high positions in
banks, business development and
in marketing. He was one of the
founders of Management by Ethics
with the Pontifical University of the
Holy Cross in Rome, an initiative
to explore the themes of Corporate Social Responsibility. He is
involved in furthering cooperation
between schools and companies to
help find employment for students
who finish their studies.
Since the setting-up of MIA, its
CEO had always been Austrian.
Alan Borg is the first Maltese national to be given this position and
he too has been appointed to act
on the advisory board of the MTF,
because of his long years of experience in hospitality.
To Silvestrelli the Mediterranean
is the birthplace of the religious,
political and cultural identity of a
number of people. It is the place
of memories of the past on which
we need to build the future.
INSIDER SPECIAL EDITION
Borg feels that the Mediterranean
has served throughout history as
an important channel for trade,
connecting Europe, Africa and the
Middle East both geographically and commercially. It therefore
represents an ongoing opportunity
to create links with the rest of the
world and find added value in the
shared heritage and culture.
Borg says that: “In marketing, we
talk about positioning and I think
the way the Mediterranean is posi-
tioned in the minds of millions of
tourists is very much determined
not only by the holiday experience
on offer but also by the world media. If the Mediterranean brand
is perceived positively we all stand
to gain. One of the main aims of
the Foundation is to boost cooperation among all Mediterranean
tourism stakeholders, enabling
us to think of ourselves as a team
working together, rather than
competitors fighting for the same
bone.
“Sustainability is key to the Mediterranean product and the Foundation’s work. To my mind the first
step must be agreement on what
the Mediterranean brand stands
for and to give it a voice. We must
also ensure both environmental
and commercial sustainability,
but the two aspects are related. By
pooling our resources and expertise, we can pursue international growth more aggressively while
using our shared success to invest
more effectively in environmental
sustainability.”
2015
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