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Our Story
Trixie Van Der Kooi
It all started, once upon a very long time ago, with an article in the National Geographic somewhere in the later end of the 1980s. The article must have been interesting to keep a kid mesmerised, with the mysteriousness of the accompanying Malta pictures engrained on her memory ever since. Eventually, in the early 90s the first holiday to Malta was booked and who knew then, what we know now.
Flash forward 30-odd years and Malta has been home for the past 26 years. What initially was supposed to be a brief stay, turned into an 'I-never-left'. The friendliness of the people, the weather, the Mediterranean life-style, the history, art, the compactness.. There is just so much to discover, explore, experience and especially, to enjoy.
Following a full time professional life for the past 35 years, we created the @MaltaNext agency during the spring of 2023, shaping an online agency where dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate Travel Designers & Project Managers, who know the destination and tourism inside-out, work together on travel related projects.
Kurt Bailleul
Growing up in a rural area in Belgium, we spent our family holidays in a motorhome all around Europe. In reality, we never knew where we would end up: if the weather wasn’t nice where we had set of to, we just moved on! Heading for clearer skies…
Although very much a “home boy”, I always enjoyed our days exploring. So, it came as no surprise that I chose to study tourism.
In 1996, I had the opportunity to work as a rep for Sunsnacks / Neckermann. Having nothing else at hand, I decided to give it a chance. My first destination was to be Gran Canaria, but ended up in Costa de Almeria. 6 months quickly became 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, 15 years. 23 countries and 47 destinations were for some period of time, called “home”. The company rebranded to Thomas Cook and I was sent off to Malta. The warmth of the population, the pocket size, proximity to Belgium, English speaking, nice weather and much more, turned 8 months into 16 years for the time being. After Tour Operating followed several years in Sales at one of the largest hotels on the island, followed by moving to another fascinating side of this always amazing industry: the incoming agency, where we focus on service an offer our guests an unforgettable Malta experience.
Mariana Zammit
After what turned out to be a rather challenging experience in the design industry, I decided to change careers. This leap of faith led me to an unexpected but rewarding path in the tourism industry, starting off part-time at a destination management company. What was supposed to be a temporary situation, quickly evolved into a full-time position within a reservations department.
Now, 11 years later, I have fully embraced the tourism industry. A creative soul at heart, I enjoy crafting and personalizing items as a hobby. Whether it’s handcrafting a special gift or designing custom décor, I love the process of bringing ideas to life and turning simple materials into unique and meaningful pieces.
Combining my attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and passion for travel, I now take care of the daily business operations that take place in the office.