ROCS Group

ROCS Group is one of Malta's best-known family businesses, founded in 1972 by the Vella family and now spanning media, real estate, broadcasting, travel, insurance, financial services, leisure, foreign recruitment and retail. For visitors and residents the most useful arm is ROCS Travel, a travel agency in Floriana, next to Valletta, that sells guided tours, cruises and holidays around the world.

The business is listed in our directory of tour operators in Malta. Its head office is on St Anne Street in Floriana, a short distance from the capital, which our Valletta guide covers in detail.

The group is trade mark registered and owned by Charichelon Company Limited, and describes its position as a high-end Maltese company that has built its name on exclusive service. Through its media business it has produced its own marketing campaigns as well as campaigns for many other Maltese companies, and it keeps its head office under one roof with the services of its different companies.

ROCS Travel

ROCS Travel was formerly Directions Travel Agency and is an IATA accredited agency operating under Maltese law. It is a founding member of the Insolvency Fund Malta and represents Emirates Holidays in the Maltese islands. It is independent and not tied to particular countries, so it arranges trips to anywhere in the world, including smaller hotels that mass tourism has not found.

The services include guided and escorted tours, tailor-made holidays, worldwide cruises, weekend breaks and city escapes, long-haul and luxury travel, honeymoons, adventure holidays, family and group trips and flexible independent travel. Brochures with current offers are published for tours and cruises.

The mission is to bring clients the best of what the world offers, from first contact through to the day you return. The team aims to respond to requests quickly, and to source unusual, individual hotels, which makes the agency a sensible choice for honeymoons, family trips or group tours that need more than a standard package.

Example holidays and prices

Printed starting prices per person include Disneyland Paris from €389, Italy and Sicily from €249, Cyprus from €399, a Norwegian fjords cruise from €899, a family adventure in the UK from €669 and Dubai from €1079. Festive London for seven nights over New Year is listed from €1449, and Lake Como and Prague city breaks from €269.

Longer escorted trips include Lapland for seven or eight nights from €2299 and a 14 night Timeless Vietnam tour from €2999. These are Malta departures sold to Malta-based travellers, so check dates, flights and prices with the team before you plan around them.

Other divisions

Beyond travel, the group runs a media and marketing business, a retail division with more than 30 locations in Malta and Libya and a property arm. ROCS Company Limited is an enrolled tied insurance intermediary for Mapfre Msv Life, regulated by the MFSA, and offers protection, savings, investment, retirement and personal pension products. If you are considering living in Malta, our relocation guide and financial services overview explain the wider context.

How booking works

Holidays can be chosen in person at the Floriana offices, by booking form, by email or through the team. The agency checks availability, then confirms a booking once a deposit is paid. A signed confirmation form finalises it, and payment is due within 24 hours of the provisional confirmation email or the booking is cancelled automatically. Standard packages are paid in full 10 weeks before departure and cruises 3 months before departure.

Final documents, including e-tickets, hotel vouchers and itineraries, are available once payment has cleared, and can be collected from the offices or at the tour meeting. The team also supplies check-in times, baggage allowances and transfer details, and asks you to check names, dates and services carefully before signing.

To ask about travel or another division, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to ROCS Group. For more on the island itself, read about Malta.