Accessible Hospitality Alliance (AHA) and Shawn Pisani, vice president of HelmsBriscoe and member of the advisory board of AHA, are hosting the first Mediterranean forum dedicated to accessible hospitality on Wednesday, March 18, at the Marriott Malta Resort & Spa in Balluta Bay, St Julian’s.
The forum, which aims to inspire the nation and industry to become more accessible, is being organised in partnership with the Malta Tourism Authority and VisitMalta Incentives & Meetings, with the support of various organisations including the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), Deloitte Malta, Bank of Valletta and HSBC.
The event will bring together government officials, tourism industry leaders and advocacy groups to discuss how accessibility is reshaping the hospitality sector.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Ian Borg will open the forum. President Emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca will deliver a keynote address, as will Oliver Scicluna, CEO of Aġenzija Sapport.
The programme will include a series of panel discussions, industry roundtables and presentations by business leaders with experience in accessible tourism and inclusive employment.
“Organising the Alliance’s first forum outside the UK, in Malta – an economy that depends on tourism, and a country that has historically been at a crossroads for many cultures and a people renowned for their hospitality – is a strategically sound choice. It is a project my peers and I are excited about,” Pisani said.
Candidates from the Lino Spiteri Foundation will be serving food and beverage during the forum, “demonstrating what accessible tourism looks like in practice”, he added.
Keynote speakers will include AHA chair Robin Sheppard, managing director Denis Sheehan and hospitality entrepreneur Frank Bothwell.
The forum will also feature perspectives from individuals with lived experience of disability, including business professional Shelley Cowan and writer and performer Angela Bettoni, alongside discussions on accessible design, workforce inclusion and public policy.
Event organisers have said the event reflects a broader shift within the global hospitality industry, where accessibility is increasingly considered not only as a compliance requirement but as a factor influencing performance and long-term business resilience.
“A strategically sound choice”
AHA is an industry initiative dedicated to making the hospitality sector truly accessible and inclusive for everyone – visitors, guests and employees, regardless of physical, sensory, cognitive or other access needs.
It defines accessibility not as an optional add-on but as a core standard of modern hospitality, uniting businesses and individuals who are committed to embedding inclusion into everyday operations and culture.
The organisation also seeks to highlight the economic potential associated with accessible tourism. In the UK, spending by consumers with a disability – often referred to as the “Purple Pound” – is estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of pounds to the wider economy each year, including billions in tourism expenditure.
Advocates argue that many destinations have yet to fully capture this market because of gaps in accessibility across accommodation, transport and hospitality services.
In Malta, where it is estimated that around 10 per cent of the population lives with some form of disability, there seems to be a growing recognition that improving accessibility could benefit both local residents and international visitors while helping businesses tap into an undeserved segment of the tourism market.
Registration costs €100 and covers the entire programme, including food and beverage. Registration can be done by contacting Shawn Pisani and Angela Green at [email protected] and [email protected], or by calling +256 7947 2862.
