Studying Tourism & Hospitality in Malta – Why ITS is Your Unparalleled Choice

Studying Tourism & Hospitality in Malta – Why ITS is Your Unparalleled Choice
Updated on
January 26, 2023

Established in 1987 and acting as Malta’s main Tourism and Hospitality educational institution, the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) offers a vast selection of programmes taught by dedicated lecturers, and in a newly relocated campus in Ħal Luqa which offers multiple specialised labs and kitchens to assure that students receive the essential theoretical and practical education required.

The Institute of Tourism Studies, located close to the Airport and with a campus in Qala, Gozo, currently offers programmes ranging from Foundation to Degree level, and is working on introducing Master programmes in the near future. Agreements with top international Universities and Institutions ascertain that students not only have the possibility to graduate from a reputable institute, but in the process also get the opportunity to study for a period of time within these institutions across Europe in order to obtain a wider experience and hone their skills to an international level. Among the many agreements ITS has secured are those with the highly esteemed Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Finland and Institut Paul Bocuse, France.

The ITS’ main responsibility is to provide the Tourism Sector with professional personnel who are able to guarantee an excellent standard of products and services within the Hospitality Industry. Students studying at the Institute of Tourism Studies are vast, with over 20% being foreigners coming from 37 different countries.

Why Malta?

The Maltese islands enjoy a pleasant, temperate climate, characterised by long, dry summers and short, mild winters and are considered among the safest countries worldwide, ranked 5th amongst the top 11 safest countries for expats, from a survey compiled by InterNations in 2017. The population is friendly and welcoming and individuals who relocate here to study or to work describe the transition period almost as non-existent as they are immediately made to feel at home and hardly have any problems adjusting.

The economy, though small, is remarkably healthy and thriving having proven mostly impervious to the upheavals that recently shook the financial world. This can be ascribed to the fact that the economy is diversified, where a downturn in any one sector is compensated for by continued strong performance in other areas.

Tourism provides the backbone to the Maltese economy framework, an industry which is growing all year round and not just seasonal. The tourism industry has a total contribution to GDP of over 27% in 2017, a figure that is forecast to rise by 4.5% by 2027.

Employment in the travel and tourism industry takes up to 30% of overall local employment, with around 50,000 jobs. This is also expected to increase to up to 66,000 jobs by 2027. Between January and October 2018, Malta had €2.3 million (+15% over 2017) inbound tourists and €1.9 billion (+8.6% over 2017) of tourism expenditure.

The Maltese Islands are connected with 100 airports across Europe and the Middle East and Malta expects to receive 2.2 million visitors in 2019.

Why ITS?

Ministry for Tourism - Opening of the new ITS Ħal Luqa Campus.

The Institute of Tourism Studies prides in offering students not only theoretical knowledge but also an extensive hands on experience, through the ITS training restaurants, vast kitchens and specialised classrooms and also the Local Industrial Trade Practice and International Internship, which is included in the students programme of study.

With various programmes available, covering the necessities of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry and with various levels available, students may ensure that they have the opportunity of specialising in areas best suited to their capabilities and interests.

Attesting to the success of the ITS training programmes is the fact that Institute of Tourism Studies graduates enjoy a 98% success rate of finding a job, both locally and internationally.

Available Programmes.

Foundation Programme

Programmes in Food Preparation & Service
Programmes in Events
Programmes in Rooms Division
Programmes in Travel & Tourism

Higher National Diploma for Tourist Guiding

Bachelor in International Hospitality Management, in collaboration with the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Finland.
Bachelor in Culinary Arts, in collaboration with the Institut Paul Bocuse in France.
Bachelor in Gastronomy, in collaboration with the University of Malta.

The ITS Prospectus for 2019 -2020 will be available as from May 2019 and applications will be open in July 2019. There may be some changes to the study programmes for the academic year 2019-2020.

What does the future look like for ITS?

In the coming years, the Institute will be relocated to a specifically newly built state of the art campus situated within Smart City, Kalkara Malta. The new campus will be able host up to 2,500 students.  A brand-new hotel adjacent to the campus grounds will furthermore serve as the ideal training ground for the ITS students. The new campus will also hold dormitories capable of hosting boarding students.

How to Apply.

The ITS Prospectus for 2019 -2020 will be available as from May 2019 and applications will be open in July 2019. The Institute has an International Department which may assist students with all the necessary arrangements required to relocate and with the Visa process should this be needed. Applications will be available online on the ITS website www.its.edu.mt.

More Information?

For assistance during registration period with the application process and information about the courses, one may contact the ITS Career Guidance officer on guidance@its.edu.mt.

Alternatively, you may also contact ITS on Facebook (Institute of Tourism Studies-ITS) and on Instagram (ITS_Malta).

Address | Institute of Tourism Studies, Aviation Park, Aviation Avenue, Hal Luqa, LQA 9023, Malta

Email | info@its.edu.mt

Telephone | +356 23793100

Facebook | Institute of Tourism Studies – ITS

Instagram | ITS_Malta

Twitter | MaltaITS

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