Sports tourism discussed at meeting with Tourism Minister

The economic benefits of sports tourism and football’s important contribution to this sector were discussed during a meeting top officials of the Malta Football Association had with Minister for Tourism Hon. Julia Farrugia Portelli at the Association’s offices on Monday. Sports tourism has grown significantly in the last year with football training camps and international football matches and tournaments contributing an estimated €5 million to the country’s economy. Studies show that the joint-efforts of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), the Malta FA and MFA SportsPlus Ltd have seen a rise in the number of training camps, generating thousands of bed nights. This has also increased the level of promotion and exposure for our country as several media representatives and television crews have visited Malta to cover these training camps and related activities. Hon. Farrugia Portelli explained how the Tourism Ministry is looking to further evaluate the opportunities offered by sports tourism with a view to attracting more tourists to our country through football training camps. In this context, all the stakeholders in this sector are looking forward to further strengthening the relationship between the Malta Football Associatiom and the Tourism Ministry together with the MTA. While praising the existing collaboration between the Malta FA, the Ministry for Tourism, and the MTA, Bjorn Vassallo, the Malta FA President, stressed that meetings of this type strengthen the Association’s motivation to keep improving its sports infrastructure and further increase Malta’s competitiveness in the sports tourism market, especially in the south of Europe. Vassallo highlighted the benefits of football activities for the country’s economy with 15,000 bed nights resulting from sports tourism thanks to the work of the Association’s subsidiary company MFA SportsPlus Limited with the important support of the MTA. International matches and tournaments for national teams yield an additional 15,000 bed nights for a total of 30,000 bed nights generated through football activities. During her visit, the Minister for Tourism toured the Malta FA indoor and outdoor facilities, including the Millennium Stand pool and physiotherapy clinic, the museum which is expected to be inaugurated in the coming months, the Centenary Stadium and Training Grounds.