80 top UK travel journalists to explore Malta and Gozo 16 – 21 March 2023
The top tier of Travel Journalism, the BGTW, is holding its prestigious Annual General Meeting in Malta. The AGM is the centrepiece in the BGTW diary with members using the opportunity to gather for feature ideas as well as discuss innovation in travel journalism. All the 2023 attendees have confirmed commissioned pieces prior to travelling with national features appearing in The Daily Telegraph, i paper, Conde Nast Traveller and more.
Crafted by Malta Tourism Authority, media will be exploring the Maltese islands on different itineraries including Gastro, Active, Gozo, Temples and Mdina for features in a range of media titles. The writers will be staying in St Julian’s and experiencing an incredible dine around programme at Oka’s Balluta Bay, Chophouse, Briju, Madliena Lodge, Cent’anni and Samizu to celebrate Malta’s burgeoning gastronomic scene. Rolling Geeks will provide media with a unique perspective on Three Cities and tuk tuks await the group exploring Gozo. The AGM will culminate in a gala dinner hosted by Carlo Micallef, CEO of the MTA.
Founded in 1960, the BGTW’s first ever AGM was held in Malta six decades ago, so it was apt to return to the place this influential community of UK journalists was solidified. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic dashed the timeline, so three years on, this AGM has been much anticipated
Speaking of the AGM, Sarah Siese, co-chair of the BGTW commented “Our AGM is the highlight of our year and this will be our third in Malta since our inception in 1960. In fact, we have one member attending this year who has been to all three events in Malta, the legendary broadcaster John Carter, famous for his decades of travel journalism and presenting much loved TV programmes including BBC’s Holiday and ITV’s Wish You Were Here. We know Malta has the Knights of St. John, we have our own John who is a knight in our eyes. Our members are genuinely excited to learn all that has happened since they last visited Malta, it is such an important destination for UK holidaymakers with so much to offer, so we look forward to exploring and sharing our experiences with audiences across the UK.”
Tolene van der Merwe, Director UK & Ireland for Malta Tourism Authority added “An incredible amount of work has gone in to creating a dynamic series of itineraries to show off Maltese highlights during the AGM and we are delighted with the feedback from the excellent media attendees. Our aim is always to demonstrate that in Malta, there is More to Explore and I know that this AGM will do just that. I look forward to an intense but productive couple of days and of course the wealth of coverage that will then follow to entice UK holidaymakers to Maltese shores.”
