On Friday 24 May 2019, the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association filed a complaint against the airline trade association IATA with the European competition authority for breach of articles 101 and 102 of the EU Treaty. This follows years of failed negotiations with IATA to modernize the distribution programme and make it more...

Travel and tourism agents are extremely concerned by the impact on their operations resulting from newly introduced free school transport system. Several key coach operators have advised tourism agents that their coaches are no longer available before 9:00am and between 1:45pm and 4:00pm on school days, causing havoc on full day and afternoon excursion programmes....

  Following the record number of airline failures in 2017, ECTAA calls on the EU Commission to introduce an efficient mechanism to protect EU passengers against airline insolvencies. ECTAA calls on the EU Commission to introduce an efficient mechanism to protect EU passengers against airline insolvencies. In the last three months 3 important European airlines,...

  Travel and Tourism Agents are extremely concerned with the current situation at Air Malta especially in the light of recent statements reported in the media regarding the airline’s future related to the stalemate in ongoing the dispute with the pilots’ union. Notwithstanding it’s dubious future, Air Malta continues to aggressively promote early bookings, collecting...

Tourism stakeholders call on the Malta Tourism Authority to confirm or deny the report that appeared in the local media that it has given a sponsorship of €1 million to a private business airline. The Federated Association of Travel & Tourism Agents (FATTA) strongly objects to any such type of sponsorship which appears manifestly beyond...

FATTA is calling on Government and the Malta Tourism Authority to deny press reports implying that customers who suffered losses from the bankruptcy of Fantasy Tours will be compensated by the recently launched insolvency fund. The Legal Notice setting up the fund clearly states that the fund will only cover bookings made from the date...

What is the scope of this Fund? The purpose of these regulations is to set-up an Insolvency Fund to provide security for the refund of all payments made by or on behalf of travellers insofar as the relevant services are not performed as a consequence of the organiser’s insolvency, including repatriation where applicable. The fund shall be managed and...

Total cruise passenger traffic during the second quarter of 2016 amounted to 200,480, a decrease of 2.3 per cent over the corresponding period last year. Cruise Passengers: Q2/2016 During the second quarter there were 108 cruise liner calls, at par with last year. At 91.2 per cent, transit passengers accounted for the vast majority of total traffic, reaching 182,754....

The Federated Association of Travel & Tourism Agents (FATTA) notes with interest the Minister of Tourism’s statement denying media reports on the direction being taken in Air Malta’s negotiations with Alitalia. FATTA maintains its full agreement that strategic alliances with other airlines are essential to ensure the viability of Air Malta.   However, the prime objective...

Total outbound tourists for the second quarter in 2016 were estimated at 104,331, an increase of 9.3 per cent over the corresponding quarter last year. April-June 2016 During the second quarter of 2016, the number of outbound tourist trips towards EU countries stood at 93,863, an increase of 9.0 per cent over the same quarter...