Carlo Micallef: The Creative Brilliance of Magnificent Malta

1 month ago 19

“Malta is in the middle of the Mediterranean, and it has been the place to be conquered by anybody who wanted power in the Mediterranean.”

To be successful at sales you need to possess two things: you need to absolutely love sales, and you need to absolutely love what you are selling. Carlo Micallef, CEO of Malta Tourism Authority, loves sales and adores Malta.

When Micallef, a veteran of close to three decades in marketing and tourism, first joined the Malta tourism team people hardly knew where it was. But Malta’s popularity among tourists has been growing. In the past 10 years the country’s tourism industry has seen record growth, and that doesn’t surprise Micallef, who observes that throughout history, Malta has always been front and centre.

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“Malta is in the middle of the Mediterranean, and it has been the place to be conquered by anybody who wanted power in the Mediterranean,” says Micallef. “It started with the Byzantines, through the Normans, the Romans, the Arabs and all others who tried to rule the Mediterranean and by extension, Europe and North Africa. They all came and they all left their mark — in our genes, in our cuisine, in our languages and in our life. So, as a result, Malta is a melting pot of different cultures, which one can see and enjoy in Malta. That is special, and that is the Maltese spirit.”

As a result, the diversity of its people is the soul of Malta, which North Americans can now enjoy with direct flights beginning from JFK Airport in New York, a long-time goal of Micallef’s. It puts this remarkable cultural incubator of designers, artists and entrepreneurs within easy reach of anyone with a passion for wonder, history and culture.

@maltatourismauthority