25 Editions On: The Story Behind HORECA Magazine
Malta Beyond Sightseeing: Pride, Gastronomy & the Visitor Experience
October 5, 2026Twenty-five editions ago, HORECA Magazine began as an idea sketched out by Ryan Galea, who had worked and understood both sides of Malta's hospitality industry from the operators who run it to the media world that could give it a voice.
Today, that idea has grown into one of Malta's most recognised B2B platforms for hospitality, restaurants and catering, reaching more than 30,000 readers and followers and distributed in print to over 10,000 subscribers across the sector.
To mark this milestone, we sat down with the people who built HORECA edition by edition: its publisher, editors, sales team, designer and contributors, to look back at where it started, what it has meant to the industry, and where it goes from here.
Where It All Began
Ryan, HORECA Magazine’s publisher, said the magazine was the natural convergence of two decades of experience. Years spent supplying products and solutions to the hospitality sector through Innovative Solutions gave him a very good understanding of the industry, while a parallel career in publishing, marketing and media, including 20 years running Malta's largest direct marketing and distribution company, Mailbox Services, gave him the tools to build something lasting.
It was this combination, he explains, that showed a clear gap in the market: a publication dedicated entirely to hotels, restaurants and catering. These sectors give HORECA its name.
"The idea was to create something much more than a culinary magazine," Ryan reflects. "A B2B publication with high-value content, relevant insights and stories that could inform, connect, promote and inspire the people working within hospitality." That vision launched in 2019, with early backing from the Malta Tourism Authority proving crucial in establishing the publication's credibility from day one.
Tonio Schembri, HORECA's first editor and now head of Sales & Operations, remembers those early days vividly. "There was a real sense of building something from the ground up and establishing HORECA as a voice for Malta's hospitality and catering industry," he says. Over the years, he has watched the magazine mature into "a recognised platform connecting businesses, suppliers and professionals across the hospitality sector", one that has evolved in step with the industry itself, embracing new trends, technologies and challenges along the way.
A Voice for the Whole Industry
What sets HORECA apart, according to those who have shaped it, is that it is not simply a magazine about restaurants and recipes. From the outset, it was designed as a platform for the entire ecosystem, not only for hoteliers and restaurateurs, but also suppliers, distributors, technology providers and the professionals who rarely make headlines but keep the industry running.
Chief Editor Stephen Gauci, who has followed the magazine since its very first issue, points to this breadth as one of its defining strengths. "HORECA has filled an important gap and has evolved into an important voice for the industry," he says. "It brings together the full spectrum of the sector, from established industry leaders and major businesses to smaller operators, emerging talent and new ideas." Increasingly, he notes, people don't just want to read about the industry; they want to contribute to the conversation themselves.
With tourism contributing around 15% of Malta's GDP, Stephen believes HORECA's role goes beyond celebration. "Our role is not simply to trumpet achievements, but to encourage discussions and provide a platform for different perspectives," he explains. “We do that with a strong sense of responsibility towards the many stakeholders who invest their time, resources and millions of euros in the sector,” he added.
Through HORECA Meets and his tourism career experience, Joseph Galea has interviewed dozens of hospitality professionals, and the pattern he sees is consistent: passion above all else. "Tourism and hospitality is not just a job; for those who are truly passionate, it becomes a career and a very rewarding way of life," he says. Alongside that passion, he's been struck by the dedication, resilience and adaptability of the people he's spoken to - professionals who don't mind long hours or unpredictable schedules because they're driven by a desire to give guests the best possible experience.
That drive, he's found, doesn't discriminate by age or experience. Whether he's sitting across from a seasoned professional or someone who has just joined the sector, Joseph consistently encounters the same desire to deliver memorable experiences and contribute to Malta's tourism success. "Whatever their role, the people who make hospitality a career are all highly dedicated and motivated," he says.
Looking to the next generation of hospitality leaders, Joseph expects a fresh perspective and a much stronger focus on technology and sustainability. Having grown up alongside a more mature, more experienced traveller, he believes younger professionals are comfortable with the pace at which guest expectations are changing, and open to new ways of working and communicating.
But he's equally clear that this shouldn't come at the expense of the industry's core identity. "Technology can improve efficiency and enhance the guest experience," he says, "but it cannot replace genuine warmth, personal service and human connection." He hopes that the next generation never loses sight of the fact that "hospitality will always be about people."
Standing By the Industry When It Mattered Most
No discussion about HORECA magazine's journey is complete without COVID-19. Ryan describes it as one of the defining challenges of the magazine's history and a period when the entire hospitality sector faced existential uncertainty. "Nobody really knew whether the industry would recover," he recalls.
Yet amid the crisis, HORECA introduced initiatives to support restaurants and hotels, and deliberately highlighted businesses implementing safety measures, helping to rebuild consumer confidence at a fragile moment. "That was an important part of what HORECA stands for," Ryan says, "being there for the industry not only when things are going well, but particularly when the industry needs a voice and support."
Left to right: Tonio Schembri, Stephen Gauci, Ramona Depares, Joseph Galea, Ryan Galea, Reno Cucciardi and Josef Bonello.
Beyond Food and Hotels
Under Ramona Depares' editorial direction, HORECA widened its lens to include culture, arts and the broader social forces shaping Malta as a destination. "If Malta is serious about quality tourism, we cannot continue selling ourselves primarily through sun and sea," she argues. From the Malta Biennale to a calendar of international acts like Katy Perry, Calvin Harris, Lewis Capaldi, Michael Bublé, she sees culture as one of the strongest levers for building a more resilient, diversified tourism product.
Among the stories she is proudest of are a feature on Salina salt-harvesting, a cover story with Robyn Pratt on matching product quality to Malta's luxury ambitions, and a piece on reinventing traditional Maltese sweets, each, in her words, asking "how do we use what is distinctive about Malta, but present it at a level that supports a more ambitious, higher-value tourism offer?"
On the commercial side, Tonio has seen first-hand why businesses continue to value their association with HORECA. "It gives them direct access to a very specific and highly relevant industry audience, something increasingly difficult to achieve," he says. He described the magazine as "a connection point for the sector" that builds visibility, credibility and relationships well beyond simple advertising.
In the Bevz section, Josef Bonello has chronicled Malta's evolving drinks culture since the first edition. He recalls meeting Ryan and Tonio in the very early days and being drawn to the ambition of a publication built specifically for the hospitality industry. As a wine professional, he saw it as a much-needed opportunity to support front-line staff with better wine appreciation. The magazine’s timing, he says, could not have been better.
HORECA's launch coincided with a shift in Malta's drinking culture: renewed interest in single malt whiskies, gin and tonics increasingly ordered by brand rather than by category, and growing recognition for local wine production. "Generic was giving way to specific," he says of that shift, adding that "the timing and target of HORECA Magazine were right."
That shift has shaped his approach to the Bevz section ever since. His focus, he explains, is on finding writers and stories that help "hospitality champions fine-tune their approach" and coming up with articles that move beyond simply describing a product and instead unpack the experience behind it, whether that's coffee, wine, tequila or cognac.
Wearing his other hat as Malta Tourism Authority’s Brand Ambassador for Wines of Malta & Gozo, the magazine has also given him a direct channel to share developments in the local wine sector with an audience that matters to it most.
Looking ahead, Josef is cautiously optimistic. He points to Malta's wine sector facing global headwinds "very boldly and constructively," with local consumers becoming more discerning even as international wine consumption faces well-documented pressures. Because Malta produces only a small fraction of the volume consumed on the islands, he believes the global downturn may never hit local producers with the same force it's hitting bigger wine-producing nations. With new indigenous grape varieties currently under evaluation, he sees "bright things happening," even if, as he's quick to caveat, the sector isn't "out of the woods yet."
Behind the scenes, Reno Cucciardi has shaped HORECA's visual identity across all 25 editions. From the very first issue, the goal was to give the magazine "a strong, professional identity that reflected the quality and diversity of Malta's hospitality industry," and he's watched that identity mature naturally over time.
He says that “the magazine has become cleaner, more contemporary and more confident," with a growing emphasis on strong photography, typography and well-structured editorial layouts. He's most proud that the magazine has retained a recognisable visual character across all 25 editions, even as the design has evolved.
He describes hospitality as an inherently visual industry, which makes designing HORECA both a challenge and a pleasure. Every edition brings a different mix of subject matter, food, restaurants, hotels, interiors, people, products, industry developments, and no two issues ever look quite the same. The real challenge, he explains, lies in balancing all of that variety: fitting editorial content, photography and commercial material together while keeping the publication visually consistent, easy to read and engaging from cover to cover. "One of the most satisfying parts," he says, "is taking very different subjects and giving them a common visual language that makes the entire publication feel cohesive."
As print increasingly competes with digital and social media, Reno is clear that the two shouldn't be trying to beat each other at the same game. Digital, he notes, is immediate and constantly changing, while a welldesigned magazine offers something different: "a more considered, immersive and tactile experience." That, he believes, makes strong design more important than ever. Sharper photography, cleaner layouts, distinctive typography and a clear visual personality give readers a genuine reason to spend time with the printed page.
Rather than competing, he sees print and digital as complementary: social media and online content extend the life and reach of each issue, while the printed magazine remains "a curated, tangible representation of the brand." After 25 editions, he expects that the combination of strong print design, paired with a confident digital presence, will become more important to HORECA's future.
Looking Ahead
Reaching a 25th edition, Ryan says, is "a very strong achievement", not least because it defies the broader decline of print media. Reader surveys tell a clear story: people still want the physical magazine on their desks. With new ventures such as the Malta HORECA Directory and HORECA Buyers Guide in development, the publication is positioning itself for its next chapter as part of a growing HORECA Group.
For Stephen, that next chapter is about a shift in emphasis, from measuring success purely in numbers to measuring it in quality. "For many years, we have rightly celebrated the growth of tourism through numbers," he says. "But I strongly believe the next chapter should also place greater emphasis on quality: the quality of our offering, our service, our people, our experiences and our overall product." His hope is for HORECA to become a space where industry leaders learn from and inspire one another and where success means doing better, not just doing more.
Twenty-five editions in, that ambition feels like a fitting way to mark the milestone: not simply a celebration of how far HORECA has come, but a statement of intent for where Malta's hospitality industry, and the magazine that has chronicled it since 2019, goes next.
Under Ramona Depares' editorial direction, HORECA widened its lens to include culture, arts and the broader social forces shaping Malta as a destination. "If Malta is serious about quality tourism, we cannot continue selling ourselves primarily through sun and sea," she argues. From the Malta Biennale to a calendar of international acts like Katy Perry, Calvin Harris, Lewis Capaldi, Michael Bublé, she sees culture as one of the strongest levers for building a more resilient, diversified tourism product.
Among the stories she is proudest of are a feature on Salina salt-harvesting, a cover story with Robyn Pratt on matching product quality to Malta's luxury ambitions, and a piece on reinventing traditional Maltese sweets, each, in her words, asking "how do we use what is distinctive about Malta, but present it at a level that supports a more ambitious, higher-value tourism offer?"
On the commercial side, Tonio has seen first-hand why businesses continue to value their association with HORECA. "It gives them direct access to a very specific and highly relevant industry audience, something increasingly difficult to achieve," he says. He described the magazine as "a connection point for the sector" that builds visibility, credibility and relationships well beyond simple advertising.
In the Bevz section, Josef Bonello has chronicled Malta's evolving drinks culture since the first edition. He recalls meeting Ryan and Tonio in the very early days and being drawn to the ambition of a publication built specifically for the hospitality industry. As a wine professional, he saw it as a much-needed opportunity to support front-line staff with better wine appreciation. The magazine’s timing, he says, could not have been better.
HORECA's launch coincided with a shift in Malta's drinking culture: renewed interest in single malt whiskies, gin and tonics increasingly ordered by brand rather than by category, and growing recognition for local wine production. "Generic was giving way to specific," he says of that shift, adding that "the timing and target of HORECA Magazine were right."
That shift has shaped his approach to the Bevz section ever since. His focus, he explains, is on finding writers and stories that help "hospitality champions fine-tune their approach" and coming up with articles that move beyond simply describing a product and instead unpack the experience behind it, whether that's coffee, wine, tequila or cognac.
Wearing his other hat as Malta Tourism Authority’s Brand Ambassador for Wines of Malta & Gozo, the magazine has also given him a direct channel to share developments in the local wine sector with an audience that matters to it most.
Looking ahead, Josef is cautiously optimistic. He points to Malta's wine sector facing global headwinds "very boldly and constructively," with local consumers becoming more discerning even as international wine consumption faces well-documented pressures. Because Malta produces only a small fraction of the volume consumed on the islands, he believes the global downturn may never hit local producers with the same force it's hitting bigger wine-producing nations. With new indigenous grape varieties currently under evaluation, he sees "bright things happening," even if, as he's quick to caveat, the sector isn't "out of the woods yet."
Behind the scenes, Reno Cucciardi has shaped HORECA's visual identity across all 25 editions. From the very first issue, the goal was to give the magazine "a strong, professional identity that reflected the quality and diversity of Malta's hospitality industry," and he's watched that identity mature naturally over time.
He says that “the magazine has become cleaner, more contemporary and more confident," with a growing emphasis on strong photography, typography and well-structured editorial layouts. He's most proud that the magazine has retained a recognisable visual character across all 25 editions, even as the design has evolved.
He describes hospitality as an inherently visual industry, which makes designing HORECA both a challenge and a pleasure. Every edition brings a different mix of subject matter, food, restaurants, hotels, interiors, people, products, industry developments, and no two issues ever look quite the same. The real challenge, he explains, lies in balancing all of that variety: fitting editorial content, photography and commercial material together while keeping the publication visually consistent, easy to read and engaging from cover to cover. "One of the most satisfying parts," he says, "is taking very different subjects and giving them a common visual language that makes the entire publication feel cohesive."
As print increasingly competes with digital and social media, Reno is clear that the two shouldn't be trying to beat each other at the same game. Digital, he notes, is immediate and constantly changing, while a welldesigned magazine offers something different: "a more considered, immersive and tactile experience." That, he believes, makes strong design more important than ever. Sharper photography, cleaner layouts, distinctive typography and a clear visual personality give readers a genuine reason to spend time with the printed page.
Rather than competing, he sees print and digital as complementary: social media and online content extend the life and reach of each issue, while the printed magazine remains "a curated, tangible representation of the brand." After 25 editions, he expects that the combination of strong print design, paired with a confident digital presence, will become more important to HORECA's future.
Looking Ahead
Reaching a 25th edition, Ryan says, is "a very strong achievement", not least because it defies the broader decline of print media. Reader surveys tell a clear story: people still want the physical magazine on their desks. With new ventures such as the Malta HORECA Directory and HORECA Buyers Guide in development, the publication is positioning itself for its next chapter as part of a growing HORECA Group.
For Stephen, that next chapter is about a shift in emphasis, from measuring success purely in numbers to measuring it in quality. "For many years, we have rightly celebrated the growth of tourism through numbers," he says. "But I strongly believe the next chapter should also place greater emphasis on quality: the quality of our offering, our service, our people, our experiences and our overall product." His hope is for HORECA to become a space where industry leaders learn from and inspire one another and where success means doing better, not just doing more.
Twenty-five editions in, that ambition feels like a fitting way to mark the milestone: not simply a celebration of how far HORECA has come, but a statement of intent for where Malta's hospitality industry, and the magazine that has chronicled it since 2019, goes next.
