New Director for UK & Ireland appointed by Malta Tourism Authority

The Malta Tourism Authority has announced Tolene Van der Merwe will be its new UK and Ireland Director. She will lead a London-based team to develop partnerships with tour operators, airlines, travel agents and niche specialists, as well as PR and marketing initiatives. The UK market accounts for a quarter of Malta’s tourism arrivals and the new team will aim to grow arrival numbers through diversification of on island experiences and strategies. Van der Merwe founded Boutique Travel Marketing and also spent five years as the Hub Head for South African Tourism for UK and Ireland. She commented “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Malta Tourism Authority’s UK team. The archipelago has had a fantastic boost in its tourism in the past few years and is now considered to be one of Europe’s hottest destinations for history and culture, LGBT+, gastronomy, diving, and soft adventure travel. With attentions now turning to wellness, city breaks and sustainability, I’m excited to be part of the tourism authority’s increasing success in drawing a variety of travellers to experience all that the islands have to offer”. Latest numbers show that Malta is on par to match UK visitor arrival figures recorded in 2018.