Mediterranean Observer
Malta will be the first country in the world to participate in the Forbes Travel Guide STAR Journey Award, a comprehensive quality programme which aims to set Malta as an In-Partnership Forbes Travel Guide Destination with a focus on Service Excellence and Safety.
The aim of the Forbes Travel Guide STAR Journey Award is to set achievable and measurable objectives which are regularly reviewed, evaluated, discussed with stakeholders and revisited and revised in response to changing base conditions and results achieved, with the aim to set the Malta Hotels and Restaurants as a case of best practice for safety and service excellence.
These details were announced at a press conference by the Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection Clayton Bartolo, in the presence of the Deputy Chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority Carlo Micallef and the Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and Secretary General of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation Andrew Agius Muscat.
Minister Clayton Bartolo pointed out that while it is important for our country to support the volume of tourists who visit Malta, it is important that we make the next leap by improving the quality of the tourism sector. Minister Bartolo added that our country needs to embark on a co-ordinated effort to ensure that the hospitality sector is effectively adhering to proper COVID-19 safety guidelines in order to position Malta as a destination which is adequately safe and prepared to welcome and service the most discerning tourists, in a way which balances between the welfare and well-being of the country’s residents and the maximization of visitor economic value and satisfaction.
“We must turn past successes into a guarantee for the future. The Forbes Travel Guide STAR Journey Award is a clear example of where we want to take this industry. This must be a sector that is based on excellence and innovation in every aspect that we all do together, “said Minister Clayton Bartolo.
He added that today’s and future generations expect the government to show its support for similar programs while investing in more quality infrastructure in tourist places.
For his part, the Deputy Chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority Carlo Micallef said that the MTA is convinced that this program will serve as a motivation for the tourist establishments to continue refining their services, an aspect in which itself is another step towards what the authority and the Ministry of Tourism and Consumer Protection are looking at in the Tourism Sector Strategy for the next decade.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and Secretary General of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation Andrew Agius Muscat added that the STAR Journey offers a variety of programs that deliver rating process and expert guidance on elevating the guest experience and customer service. He added that these standards reflect the highest levels of safety, training and facility assessments for which FORBES Travel Guide is renowned for, as they do these ratings with elite hospitality brands and properties around the world.
For more information about the FORBES Travel Guide STAR Journey Award, click here
