Malta tourism is booming. Hotels are full; so much so that some travelers have needed to be sent to Gozo - and the odd one even as far as Sicily! Yes, the figures show that 2007 is ending up being the best year for tourist in Malta in a minimum of the last 6 years, with boosts not just in terms of arrivals, however also in hotel rates and occupancies. National Data Workplace figures for September showed that arrivals were 17.8 per cent up on last year.
" Up until then, the issue was how to fill rooms; today, it's a question of figuring out overbookings," chuckles the President of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, Josef Formosa Gauci. Undoubtedly, he could think about even worse problems.
Year on year, the first 9 months of 2007 have actually seen a general increase of 7.6 per cent in tourists visiting Malta, with August being one of the best months in the history of its tourist. Figures are continuously being produced and they continue looking great.
Undoubtedly, the very best isn't over yet favorable outcomes have actually continued approximately the end of October, with Malta International Airport figures for that month showing a 16 percent increase in passenger movements over the exact same duration in 2015, while figures for November are also showing increases. The remainder of the winter is envisaging a great rise in seat capacity- in excess of 10 per cent - partly arising from new low-priced routes offering inexpensive flights to Malta, including Ryanair, German Wings, Clickair, which stopped its operation in October and is set up to start again in April, a Norwegian airline company from April and the possibility of another from Madrid. Boosts over the typically quieter shoulder months are, for that reason, also being anticipated.
Needless to say, Mr Formosa Gauci is "very satisfied with the turnaround we have seen although he insists on the "need to keep our feet on the ground", motivating all players in the industry to continue to interact to face difficulties ahead.
Tourism is, after all, a highly dynamic market and things alter constantly. Of course, it would be impossible to continue seeing the same rate of growth as Malta has its limitations. However the nation would absolutely not be holding back on working to maintain the levels accomplished and going for growth in the shoulder and cold weather.
The state of the item is also a critical aspect of the market and the MHRA acknowledges that a fair bit has been done on that front too. "However it is an area where it is never adequate" states Mr. Formosa Gauci - and it is probably this mindset that contributes to improvement
.
The Association invites the fact that EU financing is now going to be utilized to continue to upgrade the product, and be put into, for instance, much better beach centers and the repair of Maha's splendid bastions.
The federal government's budget plan for 2008 has actually designated an extra EUR11.6 million to improve the tourist item. It voted a record sum of EUR39.1 million to the industry, with EUR24.5 million going to the Malta Tourist Authority to continue its work.
However Tourist and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech attributes the success accomplished in 2007 to the proactive collaboration of the government, the MTA and the stakeholders.
While revealing his complete satisfaction with the results, he says he knows just too well that "now we ought to and will choose additional development and collaborate in that instructions to accomplish as much in https://writeablog.net/rillenlttt/img-src-live-staticflickr-com-5546-11046687644_75ea6bb342_b-jpg 2008 and beyond.
" On our part, we took three mindful choices and are enjoying the positive results: the introduction of affordable providers in a huge method, while bearing in mind the interests of legacy carriers, consisting of Air Malta, and tour operators; increased financial investment to market Malta better overseas; and the organisation of a broad selection of cultural and entertainment occasions that render Malta a distinct experience for the Maltese and travelers alike."
And the nationwide airline is doing its part too. Air Malta is concentrating on its marketing projects and aggressively promoting value-for-money travel opportunities, running successful projects in the core European markets, where it is offering the island as the best short-break option, stated its General Manager, Marketing & Item, Brian Bartolo.
In the UK, it has just launched Malta the Break Escape, which has actually been running because the recently of October and is presenting an unbeatable travel opportunity to inbound UK travelers. In France Italy, Germany and Benelux, Air Malta's recent advertising campaigns have actually led to a market boost in inbound travel bookings to Malta in the previously quiet November and December durations, Mr Bartolo notes.
Air Malta is an active network airline company, seeking code-share arrangements with worldwide providers - an essential investment in connectivity by the Maltese nationwide airline. The current addition to the list of code shares was Air One, with whom Air Malta code shares on Rome Fiumicino, suggesting its market reach now covers every Italian domestic airport.
The effective code-share contract signed with Lufthansa in November 2006 permits both providers to provide two everyday non-stop flights to Frankfurt and a daily flight to Munich, with connection to every German regional airport, as well as offline European, American and Asian.
The relocation has created substantial brand-new traffic into Malta, with a favorable direct impact on the tourism market. The code-share agreement, which initially was solely operative on the direct Malta-Frankfurt and Malta-Munich paths is now covering every German regional path, Mr Bartolo says, adding that, just recently, the code- share contract has likewise been extended to the Scandinavian cities of Oslo and Stockholm. Through the code-share contract with Lufthansa, there are non-stop everyday services from Malta to Washington Dulles International Airport, by means of Munich.