Malta’s sustainable future re-imagined

As international incentive travel and meetings return to The Maltese Islands, Ovation Malta DMC and ECMeetings look to incorporate more sustainable practices. New innovative event solutions will leave a positive impact and guarantee added value to the customer’s destination experience. Therefore, Ovation Malta DMC introduces 7 easy ways to incorporate more sustainable practices for meetings and incentives on The Maltese Islands.

1. Choose an eco-certified hotel

The Malta Tourism Authority has an eco-certification in place for accommodation establishments. The certification programme aims to improve the sustainable performance of hotels. Seven five star hotels and nine four-star hotels are eco-certified, with many of these hotels taking on great initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint. We work closely with these establishments and make the choice easy for you by clearly indicating which hotels are certified. Popular hotels include The Westin Dragonara Resort, Hilton Malta, Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa, Radisson Blu, and many more.

2. Offset your emissions

The Northwest coast of Malta is home to beautiful nature and historical parks. Here you´ll find steep cliffs, picturesque beaches, and tucked-away coves. On clear days visitors to the park can enjoy views as far as Sicily. Surrounded by endemic species of flora and fauna the park offers kilometres of trails. Hence, it is quite popular for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and running. Since early 2009 the park has been planting indigenous trees and shrubs in surrounding areas.

Since travel will never be emissions-free, we have teamed up with the park to offset emissions.  We offer all of our clients the possibility to have their flight and programme emissions calculated. Furthermore, we offer our clients the ability to offset emissions by planting indigenous trees and shrubs. The trees are maintained by the park for 5 years until they are mature and can survive in the Maltese climate. Depending on preference, the trees can be planted as a CSR activity by the participants or by the park rangers. Finally, the tree planting activity can be personalised to the group by adding branded tags and dedicating a specific area of the park.

3. Learn something new

Past the magnificent harbors and architectural monuments, the west coast of Malta and the rural island of Gozo offer a perfect setting to escape into nature and learn something new. In order to support local communities and traditions, a range of activities are offered in the idyllic countryside. These can range from farm to fork cooking classes in lemon and olive groves, yoga sessions in nature to beekeeping workshops, and local art and craft activities.

 4. Be part of a great cause

Discover the crystal-clear seas surrounding the islands on Stand-Up Paddle Boards and Kayaks and join in on a water clean-up challenge. Get in a full dose of Vitamin Sea and enjoy some of the most amazing caves, coves, and tucked-away beaches, while being part of a great cause.

Another unique CSR activity involves the restoration of an iconic Maltese vintage bus. The activity takes place at a former stone quarry, known as Limestone Heritage. It has a large space available to paint and re-decorate the interior and exterior of the bus. Accompanied by a team of restoration professionals, the activity is well prepared in advance and offered to teams of up to 50. Post-event the client can then choose between two options. They can sell the bus and donate the money to a charity of choice. Or they have the choice to donate the bus directly to a local museum. In the museum, the story of the Maltese bus will live on for future generations to enjoy.

5. Go for local food concepts

Leading local catering establishments and venues are paving the way for innovative food concepts, reducing and recycling waste, and using self-grown produce. The family-run Xara Collection Group offers high-end outside catering, a Michelin star restaurant, and additional venues. Additionally, they have just launched the Xara Gardens. This regenerative farming project allows chefs and local farmers to work together to create a true farm to fork system for their restaurants and venues. Similarly, smaller local family-run estates across the islands offer farm visits, harvesting workshops, picnics, and local tasting sessions.

6. Use fun and eco-friendly transport

Discover cultural hidden gems and maritime towns around the Grand Harbour, while cruising in GPS-guided and eco-friendly vehicles. The selfie feature is great fun and commentary in the language of your choice is available. In addition, the beautiful sister island of Gozo also offers fun ways to discover the island with a new fleet of e-jeeps and colorful e-Tuk-Tuks.

 7. Reduce, reuse, recycle

We offer paper-free meetings, reusable signage, digital menus and programs, reusable décor, and energy-efficient lighting solutions. Furthermore, we offer the option to replace single-use plastic bottles with reusable flasks. The flasks are a great giveaway on arrival and come in different sizes with personalized event branding. The bottles can be refilled in hotels and during activities.

In our ongoing efforts to offer the best possible event solutions in Malta, we continue to work closely within our communities and with our local suppliers to make changes on social, economic, and environmental levels. In conclusion, we hope this will lead to a more personalized destination experience and Malta as a more sustainable destination for meetings and incentives.

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