Taking root in our destinations

On Friday 12 December 2025, we joined forces with our long-standing partner, Coast is Clear Foundation, for a landmark tree-planting event in Pembroke, Malta. Together with local schoolchildren, community leaders, and volunteers, Sophie Portlock, Vice President of Sustainability, joined the efforts in planting 250 trees – the largest tree-planting initiative ever undertaken by the foundation! 

We’re proud of our rich relationship and long history serving Malta which remains vitally important to our fly-cruise itineraries in the Western, Central, and Eastern Mediterranean. Valletta has served as the home port for our Europe Fly programme since 2017, with over 80,000 guests every summer and an average of up to 2,400 guests boarding our ships every week.

The tree-planting event is part of our broader sustainability collaboration in Malta, reinforcing our commitment to engaging in key destinations and creating long-term, shared benefits for the communities we visit. 

Highlights of the day:

• Over 160 schoolchildren from St. Michael Foundation, St. Clara Primary, and Verdala International joined the effort. 
• Strong local support for the event from the Mayor of Pembroke and the British High Commission to Malta, alongside Coast is Clear Foundation’s wider network.

• With these trees, our joint efforts have created a thriving mini forest of 400 trees, contributing to Coast is Clear Foundation’s total of 1,200 trees planted across Malta.
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On the day we were delighted to receive the personal support of the newly appointed British High Commissioner to Malta, Victoria Busby OBE, who attended the event and helped with the tree planting. As well as forming part of our sustainability commitment towards biodiversity and conservation, the planting is also critical to our ongoing wider partnership in Malta where next year we plan to host the High Commissioner onboard Azura to see the pride and professionalism of our operations.

This unique event was incredibly well received with extensive press and media coverage, including:

• A front-page feature in the Times of Malta with photos from the day.
• Social media posts from leading news outlets such as LovinMalta which is Malta’s most-followed media outlet.

• Posts from the Minister for the Environment, the local Mayor, and Coast is Clear Foundation, amplifying the positive impact of the initiative.

Thank you to everyone involved for making it such a success!