VALLETTA, Malta, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On the sidelines of the 2026 WTTC Global Summit held in Malta, Carlo Micallef, CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, met with Edison Chen, Vice President of Trip.com Group, for talks on China–Malta tourism cooperation. Witnessed by Jo Etienne Abela, Malta’s Minister for Tourism, the Malta Tourism Authority and Trip.com Group formally signed the 2026–2029 Strategic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding.
The signing of the Strategic Cooperation MOU marks a further deepening of the strategic partnership between the Malta Tourism Authority and Trip.com Group. Over the next three years, the two parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in destination promotion, tourism product diversification and sustainable tourism.
“Malta is committed to diversifying its source markets, and China is the most important emerging market in our strategic plans,” said Carlo Micallef, CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority. “Our partnership with Trip.com Group will help us reach high-value travellers in China and around the world more precisely, and showcase Malta’s unique appeal as a premium Mediterranean tourism destination.”
Edison Chen, Vice President of Trip.com Group, said, “Malta is a vibrant destination, offering a wealth of cultural and premium experiences, and excellent connectivity. Our data shows a 60% growth in inbound travel bookings to Malta, underscoring its growing appeal among global travellers. By combining Trip.com Group’s global reach and platform technology with Malta’s unique offerings, we are excited to further boost tourism in Malta, inspiring more travellers from Asia and around the world to discover its beauty.”
Malta Accelerates Its Push into the Asian Market
Malta is actively expanding into the Asian market, with plans to raise the share of arrivals from outside the EU to 40% within the next decade. Carlo Micallef, CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, said that Malta is advancing tourism cooperation discussions with China and several other Asian countries. Although Schengen visa requirements remain a short-term challenge, the market potential is immense.
Trip.com Group’s platform coverage advantages across the world’s major source markets, together with its leading big-data and AI-supported capabilities, will help Malta enhance its brand influence as a premium tourism destination. With a large presence in Asia, Europe and across global markets, Trip.com Group is highly strategically aligned with the Malta Tourism Authority’s market diversification strategy.
The 2026 WTTC Global Summit was held from 7 to 9 October at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, bringing together tourism industry CEOs and senior government leaders from more than 100 countries. The signing is one of the significant cooperation outcomes achieved during the Summit. Over the next three years, the two parties will leverage the technological capabilities and data insights of Trip.com Group’s global platforms, combined with the Malta Tourism Authority’s in-depth understanding and integration of local tourism resources, to continuously optimise promotional strategies and position Malta as a highly attractive Mediterranean tourism destination for global travellers.
About Trip.com Group
Trip.com Group is a global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centres. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Trip.com Group is on the mission “to pursue the perfect trip for a better world”. Find out more about Trip.com Group here: group.trip.com.
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