Michelle Muscat’s business partner takes €61,000 to act as tourism rep in New York

The contract of Michelle Buttigieg as the Malta Tourism Authority’s representative in New York has been published in Parliament.

Her appointment has been criticised by the Opposition, who noted that she runs the jewellery business chain ‘Buttardi’ along with the Prime Minister’s wife Michelle Muscat.

The contract, published by tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis upon the request of Opposition MP Antoine Borg, shows that Buttigieg is on an a contract of €60,998 per annum. The MTA also provided her with a petty cash float of $2,000, which she is able to replenish subject to written approval in advance and the presentation of full receipts for expenses that go beyond her salary.

The MTA also foots the bill for economy flight tickets for commercial trips, hotel accommodation and meals during commercial visits, and her hiring of meeting rooms – including coffee and lunch breaks – for workshops and coffee breaks to promote Malta.

Her job description is described as “performing marketing and promotion activities…with the aim of attracting tourists to the Maltese Islands”.

Her responsibilities include identifying potential ‘high-end’ tourists, familiarising potential tourists with Malta, organizing targeted sales bitzes, and participating in trade fairs.

The contract permits Buttigieg to “represent other destinations, tourism suppliers or hotels that are not located in the Mediterranean”, provide that she obtains the MTA’s prior approval in writing.

In his response to Antoine Borg’s PQ, Zammit Lewis argued that Buttigieg is paid “substantially” less than the MTA representatives to the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Spain and Scandinavia who were all appointed under the previous administration.

“[Buttigieg] is paid less even though the cost of living is much higher in the United States, and in particular New York.”

He added that Buttigieg is not employed with the MTA, but that she is a “tourism professional whose services have been engaged locally in New York by the MTA to represent it in marketing and promoting Malta across the United States”.

“It would have been more expensive for the MTA had it sent somebody from Malta to work as a representative in New York, both in terms of salary and in terms of other costs and allowances such as health insurance and school fees.”

He noted that Michelle Buttigieg in January was awarded the MTA’s award for the “most innovative tourism executive” of the year.

Moreover, the number of US tourist to Malta has risen since her appointment – from 19,502 in 2013 to 22,402 in 2014, to 26,073 last year.