Lo and behold – I break the story, they issue a press release
Yesterday, when I spoke to Tony Zarb about the GWU going into business with Karmenu Vella and the Orange Travel Group, I asked him specifically whether the GWU would be setting up a company with the Orange Travel Group just as SMS did with Mondial to form the Orange Travel Group.
Zarb avoided the question, which always tells me that the answer is what I think it is.
Me: “What sort of strategic partnership? Will you be setting up a company together, the way that SMS did with Mondial to form the Orange Travel Group?”
Tony: “I have no idea what SMS did with Mondial.”
Me: “I find that strange, given that you are in negotiations with them.”
Tony: “I want to make it clear that it’s a strategic partnership.”
Me: “So you’re not actually in negotiations any more. You are already in a partnership. Have you given the Orange Travel Group shares in Untours?”
Tony: “I can’t give those details. That’s commercially confidential information.
After I broke the story last night, they cobbled the following press release together and sent it out to all newsrooms today.
Vjaggi Untours, Kumpanija Gdida.
Il-General Workers Union tixtieq thabbar it-twaqqif ta’ kumpanija gdid bl-isem ta’ Vjaggi Untours Limited. Din il-kumpanija, li twaqqfet bi shab ma’ Orange Travel se tispecjalizza fuq vjaggar bl-ajru u bil-bahar minn Malta lejn pajjizi ohra. Il-Kumpanija prezenti, Untours Travel min-naha taghha se tispecjalizza fuq vjaggar lejn Malta (inbound tourism) u kif ukoll fuq it-turizmu socjali.
Il-Kumpanija gdida Vjaggi Untours se jkollha l-ufficini taghha fl-istess kumpless ta’ Untours Travel Limited fi Triq l-Ifran il-belt, Valletta.
Charles Vella
Ufficju – Media u Informazzjoni
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Interesting, so cruises from Malta are now up to Orange, whereas incoming air passengers are Untours’ remit. Passengers which, one deduces, includes those intending to take a cruise from Malta.
What happens when Orange decides to explore opportunities for cruises starting elsewhere?
“Orange Cruises operates from its offices in Malta, Cyprus (where it operates under the A & M Cruises brand), Russia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom (where it operates under DCruise Shop brand).”www.orangecruises.com.mt
Which office and which country is going to get Karmenu Vella’s priority? Some of the countires mentioned can be Malta’s main competitors.
Interesting. Where’s all Vjaggi Untours Ltd’s business going to come from, given that we’re all on the breadline?
Orange Travel was a bit of a risky name for this business. One wouldn’t want disgruntled customers to complain that they “iqaxxruk, jaghsruk u jarmuk.”
Bloody Orange.
Funny how in a Malta where everyone is starving, they see new business opportunities.
From the press release
“This company (Vjaggi Untours Ltd) will specialise in air and sea travel from Malta . .”
Isn’t that what all travel agents do?
That’s just a fancy way of saying ‘outgoing tourism’. Outgoing tourism will be funnelled through Vjaggi Untours and incoming tourism will be funnelled through the older Untours Ltd.
Karmenu Vella, in other words, is creaming off a profit from the starving masses who are leaving Malta in droves for a holiday elsewhere.
Why Triq l-Ifran il-Belt, Valletta?
[Daphne – Because that’s where the office doorway is, on Old Bakery Street – that stepped bit.]
I know. But my question was: why the comma between il-Belt and Valletta?
Untours sounds frightfully Orwellian.
Thank God, they did not call it Maltours.
Turizmu socjali……what does it mean?
It means “turizmu minn fuq dahar il-poplu.”
I think I have discovered why Saviour Balzan thinks he is a star journalist. Surely he must perceive some astrological affinity with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balzan_Prize
Sorry Daphne, you have all been criticising Silvio (Parnis).
You don’t understand. The people love him.
He’s a politiku kbir, so kbir that his vizjoni has two zets:
Vincent De Bono, jintervista lill-Onor.Silvio Parnis waqt il-programm FORUM fuq Smash Television.
Min hu Silvio Parnis ?…politiku biss, jew huwa wkoll bniedem li wieħed jista’ jitgħallem ħafna minnu ?
L-esperjenzi tiegħu, minn soċju tal-mużew, għal Sindku, għal deputat parlamentari mall-Partit Laburista, elett b’aktar minn 5000 vot.
Silvio Parnis – il-bniedem ul-politiku…kollox dwar dan il-politiku kbir b’viżżjoni.
Jekk tixtieq aktar tagħrif dwar dan il-politiku, ibgħat e-mail fuq :
[email protected]
from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=8jG2GMTSXhM&NR=1