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

Create Your Badge

Passenger ships, also known as cruise ships or cruise liners, have been a very important part of travel life as we know it. Early cruise ships were built with more functionality in mind than comfort or leisure. Their purpose was to travel the oceans and seas, delivering passengers and goods to distant places. Transatlantic crossings took several days and were often perilous. The journey between North America and Europe was never shorter than four days. The introduction of steamships made the trip safer, faster and more reliable.

As cruise ships became a more popular and viable form of travel, the ships became ever more luxurious. The Titanic is probably the most famous cruise ship ever - for all the wrong reasons. Construction of the ship included ballrooms, luxurious dining areas and staterooms. The Titanic was the largest passenger steamship in the world, and many people looked forward to her maiden voyage. Because of the tragic events that followed, many maritime laws were passed to ensure the safety of future luxury ship voyages.

Today, millions of passengers each year take advantage of the accommodations a variety of cruise ships have to offer. These massive ships are built with comfort in mind. In recent years, they’ve been used as vacation getaways, taking passengers on fantastic voyages lasting several days or a week. A few remote destinations in the world may only be visited by cruise ships, airplane or helicopter. Some of the most popular destinations for cruise ships are the Caribbean, the Balearic Islands, Europe and Alaska.

Retired Cruise Ships Become Much More

The introduction of air travel and cheap holidays caused a decline in the number of passengers on cruise ships. Many people chose to fly in lieu of setting sail on a cruise ship simply because it was faster. Fortunately for tourists who enjoy water travel, many cruise ships still operate today. More cruise ships are being added often to accommodate the growing number of people who enjoy cruising.

When the time comes to retire a cruise ship, they are often put to use in other areas. The SS United States, or “The Big U” as it is often called, made its maiden voyage in 1952. It has been out of service since 1969 and is currently docked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania awaiting a new future. The Big U still holds the record for the fastest westbound transatlantic crossing.

The RMS Queen Mary was one of the most spectacular ships of her time. She played a very important part in World War II. One of her passengers was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whom she carried across the Atlantic for meetings. In 1942, she captured and still holds the record for the most passengers ever transported on one ship. She carried 16,082 American troops from New York to Great Britain. The Queen Mary is now berthed in Long Beach, California, where she serves as a hotel and museum.

The  Queen Elizabeth 2, commonly known as QE2, is one of the most recent ships to be decommissioned. The QE2 commenced her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City in 1969. In 1999, she celebrated her 30th anniversary in Southampton. Her 30 years of service had seen almost 5 million nautical miles and carried more than 2 million passengers.

The QE2 was given a multi million dollar makeover in 1999 that included refurbishing several rooms and cabins. Since 2004, she’s made several trips to the Mediterranean. She is now moored at Port Rashid in Dubai, where she will be converted to a floating hotel.

Not all decommissioned cruise ships are forgotten and left to rust. Many cruise ships have been retired and go on to become hotels, a casino, museums and luxury restaurants. Millions of passengers per year enjoy cruises to the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean and many other exotic or remote destinations. Those ships become a special point in the memories of the passengers who enjoyed the trip. The ability to turn those ships into floating hotels or other tourist attractions is a great asset to the tourism industry.

Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta. Malta welcomes over 500,000 cruise ship passengers a year.

Malta last year for example attracted over half a miillion cruise ship visitors - a record for the island, and a real boost for the holidays in Malta industry as it faces the recession.