Wine has long enjoyed a reputation as the most culturally rich and intellectually rewarding of alcoholic beverages. However, today, it faces an uncomfortable reality, fewer people are drinking it, and those who are, are drinking less.
For Claire Xuereb, AX Group's Director of Hospitality and Care, success was never about opening another hotel but about spotting a gap the market hadn't filled and building something with a reason to exist. Words by
Stephen Gauci.
This October, Malta will become the meeting point for some of the most influential voices in the international food and hospitality community as Food on the Edge comes to Valletta on 19 and 20 October 2026.
Every September, Malta celebrates LGBTQ+ Month, highlighting inclusion, visibility and the country’s continued commitment to equality. Malta’s strong international reputation as an LGBTQ+-friendly destination also presents important opportunities for the local hospitality and tourism industry.
Twenty-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.
It is a Thursday evening in summer. Two restaurants sit a hundred metres apart. Same street. Similar menus. Similar prices. One has a waiting list. The other has empty tables and a head chef wondering what went wrong. The food is not the difference. Often the quieter venue cooks better.
Denis Jin Young L explores Malta’s growing hospitality paradox: while international restaurant brands and luxury concepts bring investment and global appeal, the country risks diluting the distinct culinary identity and authenticity that have made its Michelin-recognised local dining scene internationally respected.