Malta

Some travel analysts suggest that Malta’s holiday industry was saved by the entry into the market of budget airlines, turning a worsening position just a few years ago to an island that has a vibrant tourism sector.

With higher airfares than competitors in the Mediterranean the number of holidays to Malta had been declining for some years, but eventually the authorities gave in to the inevitable and allowed Ryanair to start flights to Malta - and the island hasn’t looked back since.

Other airlines are now flying to the island’s Luqa Airport, including easyJet and bmi, from not just the main UK airports such as Gatwick, but Bournemouth, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle - with good news for holidaymakers in Northern Ireland that easyJet are to start a Belfast service soon.

The net result of the skies opening up to the budget airlines is a wider choice of Malta flights for tourists, with a choice of departure times and airport, and lower airfares.

And while the UK market is the biggest for her tourism industry, more visitors are coming from elsewhere as the airlines have opened new routes to the island from other European cities - diversifying the tourist mix, becoming less dependent on the UK, and increasing the net number of holidaymakers spending money in the hotels, shops and other holiday related businesses.

The new routes include Milan, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Marseille, Seville, Stockholm, Valencia and Venice - allowing Italian, Spanish, French and Swedish people to more readily consider Malta for a holiday destination.

All excellent news for the tourism industry. But it’s not just the lower fares that those taking a holiday are benefitting from, as Malta’s flag carrier is winning awards for excellence, while lowering their own fares to compete with the budget airlines.

In a recent satisfaction survey of passengers by the influential Which? consumer magazine in the UK, Air Malta was voted as one of the best, alongside Swiss Air, while the budget airlines were a lot less successful.

It’s quite a turnaround for the island’s national airline. Given that it’s a small country with a population of just over 400,000 people there were justifiable fears that the airline might go out of business as the low cost carriers cut fares. But Air Malta has not just competed well on fares but provided a service that other - much bigger - airlines cannot match.

Coupled with the good hotels Malta has, the island now appeals not just to those who want a traditional two week holiday in the Mediterranean, but also for those who want to visit for a long weekend. Spa hotels are a big attraction, and some of the Malta hotels have been winning awards for excellence in the last couple of years, all adding to her reputation among tourists in the UK and Europe.

The capital is Valletta, and the main villages where people take a Malta holiday are St Paul’s Bay, Mellieha and St Juilan’s. Mellieha has the best beach and a ot of people who take villas as opposed to staying in a hotel opt to stay here, with the Santa Maria Estate popular.

Another Malta blog is available at maltaproperty.info and often people post their own photographs of the island along with photographs on social media like facebook, myspace and twitter.

The Independent report on cruise passengers and how a good number would like to visit the island again:

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday went on a tour of the Valletta Waterfront and even boarded two cruise liners which were berthed at the port at the time.

“Having won the award of being the Best Port in the Mediterranean last year, as voted by cruise liner visitors, the Valletta Waterfront is today celebrating the fifth year from its inauguration in 2005.

“Viset, the company in charge of the management of the Valletta Waterfront, and other private investors have invested over €37 million to make this area one of the stand-out features of the whole of Malta,” said Dr Gonzi.

The Prime Minister was greeted by Viset CEO John Portelli, entrepreneur Anglu Xuereb and other members of Viset’s management team, and shortly after arriving, he was taken on a tour of the company’s offices, stopping to exchange pleasantries with members of Viset staff.

At one point, Dr Gonzi remarked that there is always something new to learn about Valletta, even though he was personally born and bred in the city.

He made reference to the fortifications boat tour last week, during which he was “surprised to hear that a priest would, back in the old times, celebrate mass at the Guardiola from the Upper Barrakka gardens, and his voice was so deep that a large gathering would turn up on the opposite side of the harbour to hear and celebrate Mass with him”.

The Prime Minister was then taken onboard the AIDA Bella and MSC Splendida cruise liners, meeting the managers and captains of the ships and sharing the odd joke or two.

He later added: “Since June 2002, 3.5 million tourists on board cruise liners have stopped at the Valletta Waterfront, with 2008 alone seeing half a million tourists stopping by.

“Recent statistics have revealed that as many as 85 per cent of tourists on board cruise liners want to visit Malta again, having been impressed by what they have seen of the country during the short time they have roaming around the country’s capital city.

“Signs for this year appear encouraging. Up until June, 203,000 cruise liner passengers stopped by the Valletta Waterfront, an increase of 50.4 per cent when compared to the first six months of last year.

“Moreover, according to statistics released by the European Cruise Shipping Council, the total revenue generated by tourists who visited the Valletta Waterfront last year stood at €26 million.

“This goes to show how important the restoration and renovation of the Valletta Waterfront has been to Malta’s tourism industry in recent years,” said Dr Gonzi.

For more Malta holiday information visit yourmalta.com

Andorra Blog

The Pyrenees is probably not the first place you would look for good internet connections, but add to that requirement being able to live in a tax friendly environment and you might think you are asking a little too much.

Happily there is such a place - Andorra.

Situated between France and Spain in the Pyrenees, it’s an independent country with a population of 80,000, plus those who have taken residency to live in the Principality.

Best known to the general public for her skiing, the country became well known for it in the 1980’s and in recent years has improved her infrastructure to the extent that it now competes with French ski holidays on an even footing.

For those considering a tax haven such as traders who need high speed internet acess and for those where time is critical, it’s a good working environment with or without tax, and Andorra steps up to the mark for them.

For such a small country in the middle of a mountain range Andorra impresses by being the 11th in the world for broadband speed - beating the United Kingdom for example, and according to Ookla who carried out the research Andorra has 14.79Mbps.

Good news indeed for those who need high speed communications in a tax friendly country whether for business or for social media like facebook - but what else can it offer apart from the financial advantages and good communications?

It has an infrastructure that matches any Western European country, with a good road network that has easy access to both France and Spain. Some residents drive to the Spanish coast for the weekend while some own property elsewhere and for example frequently enjoy Majorca villa holidays with a journey time of around five hours door to door.

For people considering taking Andorra residency, medical facilities are important, and more good news is that the hospital is modern and well equipped, with surgeons contracted from Barcelona to deal with non-emergency teatment as well as local doctors.

For tourists, there’s a good choice of hotels, both in the capital la Vella and in the villages and towns. Some of the hotels are as good as you’ll find on Swiss ski holidays, and there’s a wide range of culinary experiences available, including Michelin Star restaurants. Soldeu is one of the best known areas for ski holidays and first class quality hotels equivalent to anywhere else include the Sport Hermitage.

And it’s not just those who take Andorra residency who benefit from low or no taxes. For tourists Andorra is great for shopping with some of the lowest prices in Europe. To the extent that people make the trip from Barcelona to pick up the bargains. They visit the hypermarkets in Sant Julia just across from the Spanish border or make their way to the capital where there are department stores.

As jobs get harder to hold onto, and for those with long term careers often finding more pressure today from their employers than ever before, finding a way to relax during time off has led to a surge in popularity for spa holidays.

And it’s not just employees who are heading for the spa – company directors and owners are feeling just as much if not pressure during the economic downturn, trying to keep their companies going and having to plan ahead in uncertain times.

For many a conventional holiday is not enough to completely relax, but they find a spa holiday lets their troubles float away, leaving them relaxed and better able to face the world when they return to work.

And Malta is fast becoming one of Europe’s top destinations for a spa holiday, with hotels specialising in the market, with facilities and fully trained staff to match who have worked in the Malta holidays industry.

Gone are the days when spa vacations were just for the rich and famous, they still take them, but theirs is an experience that the many can now enjoy, and not just the few.

With many Malta hotels offering the service, prices have fallen in real terms over the years.

Quite a few hotels now have spas and gyms as part of their facilities, but some of the Malta hotels are being recognised as specialists in the field, and it makes it easy to plan holidays in Malta around a spa hotel.

The Fortina Spa Resort in Silema for example is five star and offers a choice of over 200 treatments, designed to relax and soothe their guests.

The Fortina has been featured in UK newspapers and Sunday supplements and praised by travel journalists for its quality.

The old image of a spa holiday was a lettuce leaf for lunch – that’s all changed now, and The Fortina has first class cuisine, making sure the overall experience is as good as it gets.

With Malta flights coming down in price in recent years, other hotels are trying to match the Fortina’s reputation for excellence.

The Preluna Hotel & Spa is one example. Ideally located on the Sliema seafront, the Feelgood Wellness Spa is well within reach of the town’s amenities and offers natural beauty treatments and massage. It also has a well equipped fitness centre.

The Riviera Resort and Spa adapts its treatments to suit each client. It combines wellness, fitness, beauty and relaxation for the best experience possible. Reflexology, deep tissue massages, and hair and skin care are just a few of the treatments available.

Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz is another option where guests can enjoy one of the hotel’s four pools as they indulge in its luxury spa treatments. Aside from beauty treatments, it also offers Ayurveda and conventional massages. Yoga and Pilates sessions are also available.

To see how much a visit to any of these might cost check out Thomas Cook Holidays or visit http://www.yourmalta.com/hotels

More details about Malta with travel news and articles can be found at yourmalta.com and people who have been often report back on social media like twitter

After losing some of the British tourism trade in recent years, Malta has been successfully reversing the trend recently.

Malta has been a holiday destination for tourists from Germany, Italy, France, Holland and the UK for many years. In the past British tourists have always composed a high percentage of the overall tourist trade. But as coverage of Malta as a holiday destination dropped off in the British press, so did tourism.

The Malta tourist board stirred from complacency and woke up to realise that British holidaymakers have other choices other than a Malta holiday.

Action included awarding airport slots to some of the low priced airlines, like Ryanair and easyjet. In addition the official airline of Malta (Air Malta) began lowering its own fares and working with hotels to offer great package deals. And the cheap Malta flights started to work with Ryanair flying tens of thousands of extra holidaymakers to the island.

Because Malta is not just a holiday island, there is always something to do or see for those who do take a Malta holiday.

Tourists who are familiar with the island know that it is impossible to see and do everything in a week or even a month. With the multitude of sporting events and sports to participate in, the nightlife, movies, historical and cultural performances, concerts, sailing, rock climbing and hiking, the choices can be overwhelming.

Malta also boasts some of the most stunning beaches and scenery in all the Mediterranean. There is a lot to be said for spending lazy days on sandy beaches where the most strenuous activity may be choosing the right restaurant for dinner.

A Malta holiday can match any other Mediterranean island for both activity and relaxation.

Holidaymakers are not at all bound by the area in which they are staying. The public transport system is excellent and inexpensive. You will quickly find that you can traverse the island in less than an hour. If that intriguing sounding restaurant is not exactly just around the corner, it’s still very accessible.

Planning a Malta holiday very often does not include consideration of communication issues. The official language of Malta is Maltese, which most tourists probably do not know. Luckily for tourists, especially the British, Malta’s second language is English. Everyone speaks English. It may seem inconsequential, but anyone who has experienced difficulty in communicating knows how frustrating it can be.

British tourism seemed to be returning to Malta in 2007 to 2008. The world economic crisis threatened to wreck the progress as potential tourists all over the world had to rethink what was possible.

American tourists used to travelling abroad began to look closer to home or even stay home. Like the Maltese tourist industry, resorts and Malta hotels began to offer incredible package deals in order to fill rooms.

In Southern California some of the most sought after vacation venues are currently offering deals that make it hard to say no. First rate hotels and resorts in Monterey Bay, Carmel, Santa Cruz and San Diego are discounting their rates by as much as 50 percent. In addition to the luxury accommodation, tourists are a relatively short drive from places like Sea World, Disneyland, the Big Sur, Pebble Beach, Hearst Castle and even San Francisco.

The approach is not very different from the deals offered to bring British tourism back to Malta. Smart marketing and going the extra mile to bring tourists back goes a long way, recession or no recession.

For more details about Malta visit http://www.yourmalta.com  which has the latest holiday deals and travel news.

Malta holidays

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A Malta Tourist Board survey shows what the Malta travel industry has suspected for some time - Malta holidaymakers are happy holidaymakers!

Globally the holidays industry, much like any other business, thrives on repeat customers, in other words people who have been happy with a product or service enough to buy it again, and if repeat customers can be built up it leads to a successful business.

And in a recent survey of tourists who had visited Malta for a holiday, the results were good and shows that Malta is an ideal Mediterranean holidays destination.

The sample base was large at nearly 2000 tourists, and a remarkable 86 per cent of those who participated said that their time in Malta had met or exceeded their expectations.

While good, other figures revealed in the survey give hope that Malta is building itself as a holidays destination, and once the economy improves will see year on year increases in visitor numbers again.

If holiday destinations can impress visitors enough to want to visit again in the future, it helps to give those investing in the Malta holidays trade confidence to go ahead, while the extra revenue gained by the government through employment and sales taxes give it the ability to spend money on the infrastructure expected by holidaymakers.

No less than 87 per cent of those surveyed who had just had their Malta holidays said they would recommend Malta to others - not just an impressive figure but a vital one for a destination trying to compete with countries like Spain with massive advertising budgets and a rich history of tourism who can rely on repeat visitors to use as a base every year when drawing holidaymakers to their shores.

Word of mouth and a recommendation from someone trusted is worth far more than any advertising campaign for a destination like Malta which many people might not have considered before, hopefully enough to pique curiosity to look at Mata what has to offer for a holiday.

So what areas of Malta do holidaymakers typically head for - and what can Malta offer that’s a bit different from other holiday destinations?

For a taste of the more modern side of Malta, there is the St. Paul’s Bay area and the seafront at Bugibba, the hub of nightlife in the area. Here, there are a selection of trendy boutiques and restaurants. When the sun sets, Malta can go down market as well as up market and there are karaoke bars in Bugibba, but there is also the casino and a cinema.

From the nightlife of Paceville to the view of the sea, Malta has much to offer every age group. Even though the visitors to Malta used to be retirement age, a great set of clubs, discos and bars has developed over the years.

Paceville is the nightlife capital of Malta. Most of the venues of Paceville are located on four main streets that spread out from the main square. These streets are Dragonara Road, Wilga Street, St. Georges Road and St. Rita Steps. A police presence is always nearby, keeping the denizens of the clubs safe and orderly. A taxi rank is also located in the main square, for those who need a lift.

For those who prefer a more genteel holiday, Wherever you go you will find something wonderful to see in Malta. The ruggedly beautiful coastline of Malta offers some fantastic views. It’s an island of culture and history but with the incredible beaches and secluded coves it can be a romantic setting for a honeymoon or a great place to simply get away from it all as well.

You have an 86 per chance of having a fantastic holiday in Malta after all!

More details about Malta are available with yourmalta.com - travel resources include flights to Malta and Malta hotels.

International recession has forced a major re-think of tourist numbers for most holiday destinations - and the island of Malta in the Mediterranean is no exception.

The number of holidays being taken in Malta - nearly always by Europeans - has increased impressively in the last three or four years, as low cost airlines have made the island more accessible.

But a new prediction of the fortunes of the Malta holidays industry for 2009 will make painful reading for those employed in the tourist industry, and by those businesses and individual entrepreneurs who have invested their time and money in the hope of serving a good number of tourists this year and beyond.

The travel company, who have internet sites for various locations around Europe including their resource for Malta, have seen when Malta was struggling to make an impact on the tourist industry transformed in recent years by the arrival of low cost flights, and the number of holidaymakers increase each year to set new records with cruise ship passenger arrivals as well as traditional holidaymakers making their way to the island by plane.

But they are predicting that the island’s visitor numbers could drop by as much as 20 per cent in 2009 - sending a chill down the spines of many of Malta’s business community involved in the Malta holidays industry and peripheral businesses such as bars and restaurants who have a mix of both local and international customers throughout the year.

Malta’s economy isn’t entirely dependent on tourism like some holiday islands, but it does form a good percentage of her GDP, and with a 20 per cent drop in visitor arrivals unemployment would be bound to rise in the coming months, and salaries for those involved in the travel industry frozen in all probability for 2010 as the island looked to recover.

Malta

‘The prediction we are making of a 20 per cent drop in holidaymakers to Malta this year is based upon our own figures comparing 2008 directly with 2009,’ commented YourMalta.com recently. ‘These figures will undoubtedly surprise many in the travel industry who are forecasting a lower drop in the number of Malta holidays being taken this year, but we think if hotels and Malta flights bookings are refelected in what we are experiencing the prediction could be an accurate one.’

One saving grace could be that people thinking of booking holidays to Malta are returning time and again to the travel site before making a decision - perhaps indicating that potential tourists are being more careful than usual this year and are checking regularly to see if there are any bargain holidays in Malta to be had, with tour operators offering good deals on both vacations and flights to Malta.

Britain is a very important market for Malta holidays, and adding to the island’s problems in attracting the British visitor because of their own economic woes is that the pound is weak against the Euro, making Malta holidays more expensive than in previous years, with those Brits who are taking an overseas holiday often opting to take a holiday outside the Eurozone in locations like Egypt, Morocco or Turkey.

But Malta does have one important travel resource going for it that could mean those booking last minute holidays and putting together their own package of flights and hotels together - regular cheap flights to Malta from not only the UK but other European airports too.

Malta held out against the low cost carriers for some and it was only in the last few years that they were finally allowed to fly to Malta - and the turnaround in Malta’s fortunes as a holidays destination was as quick as Malta was slow to see the tourism potential that low cost flights gives a destination. The hotels in Malta have been thriving with some of the spa hotels regularly featured in the European press as among the best in Europe, boosting further the number of people visiting Malta for a break.

With Malta’s hotels providing first class service, the travel site hope the end of year figures show a different story!

Any hopes that Malta might escape the worst of Europe’s recession as people cut back on their spending are evaporating fast as new official figures show that the island’s tourism industry went into decline towards the end of 2008, leaving question marks over just how bad this year might be for hotel and leisure operators.

The recession hasn’t come at a good time for Malta. The island’s tourist numbers had been in decline for some time and was in danger of becoming a niche travel destination before budget airlines turned the tide for Malta, and the number of holidaymakers has increased each year over the last three years, a decline now would be disappointing after so much progress.

What will make 2009 so disappointing if the tourist arrival numbers do drop is that last year was the best ever for Malta, even with the recession starting with a few months still to go for people taking Malta holidays. Overall Malta saw nearly four per cent more holidaymakers than the previous year - which in itself was a good one.

The first month for tourist arrivals to drop for Malta holidays was in September, the pound for British tourists was low against the Euro and the recession was starting to hit the UK - but with a dip of less than three per cent year on year it wasn’t significant enough in itself to worry about.

Alarm bells really have begun to ring though with news that for October the drop was nearly ten per cent compared to the previous year - and if there was any doubt that this could be quickly reversible as the November and December tourist numbers were both in excess of a ten per cent drop.

So bad is the drop in the number of people taking Malta holidays and flights to Malta that some analysts have already written 2009 off as a year that will see a sharp decline.

Hotels in Malta are being urged to reduce prices for longer than normal stays and to offer free nights when bookings are made to encourage holidaymakers to stay on the island - and spend money locally of course, to help the Maltese economy take on the recession.

The number of people taking Malta holidays from the UK is higher than any other country at over a third, and the number of British people visiting Malta is expected to drop quite a bit as the pound is low against the Euro.

Tourists from other European countries have been taking more holidays in Malta. Italy, Germany, France and Spain have all seen an increasing number of tourists heading to Malta. In response, tourism funding toward Europe has been increased by some fifty per cent. For the first time, the Malta Tourist Authority will broadcast television advertisements in Italy, Germany and France.

A spokesman for the Malta Tourist Authority told one Malta newspaper recently that to try and stem the drop in people taking holidays and booking hotels in Malta that:

“We have to increase our marketing exposure - both individual companies as well as the MTA need to increase their marketing budgets. The MTA was given more money in the last budget but things have gone significantly south since then and I believe they need even more money to work with to help maintain last year’s figures.”

With the economy in Europe on a downward spiral it’s unlikely that the island will have enough money to stop a drop in the number of people taking Malta holidays this year.