In a recent report about the affect that cheap flights are having on European holiday destinations, http://www.ttglive.com comment that it’s playing a major part in attracting a new generation of holidaymakers to the island:

MALTA

This is another destination where no-frills airlines are expanding, challenging Air Malta. Ryanair and easyJet each have four UK routes, easyJet adding Liverpool for summer 2010. This expansion has boosted DIY operators such as Youtravel, which says it appeals to younger clients than those typically attracted to the islands:

The operator’s Liz Garfield says: “The swing towards a younger clientele is far more pronounced in the summer months. Music festivals, spas and revamped hotels are proving to be a great draw for young couples and families alike. The increase in the no-frills flights means Malta is a more flexible holiday option. It is now able to compete with the likes of Majorca in the short breaks market.”

Air Malta-owned Belleair claims the widest range of packages to the islands, with new offers including helicopter transfers from Malta airport to the island of Gozo. National sales manager Emma Yorke says: “We offer a comprehensive year-round programme selling flexible, value-for-money alternatives for every pocket and taste. We are an established brand and we pay agents commission on everything – including pre-bookable excursions.”

For flights to Malta visit http://www.yourmalta.com

Malta holiday news for the people of the UK counties of Hampshire and Dorset - their local airport is about to have flights to Malta - and at prices which will tempt many to take a holiday or short break as the flights are being operated by Europe’s most successful low cost airline.

With low cost flights it will boost the island’s tourism industry as more people decide to try a Malta holiday for the first time - or remember their last trip and decide to visit again.

With prices low it will encourage not only traditional week and fortnight holidays, but also three and four day breaks for those who might normally visit the Spanish Costas.

Ryanair pioneered cheap Malta flights a few years ago after a long battle with the authorities who seemed apparently entrenched in their ways, and protective to existing carriers.

It was only after quite a battle to win the right to fly to the island that airfares came down in line with much of the rest of Europe, bringing more holidaymakers and relief to the Malta holidays trade.

As well as Bournemouth, the airline offers cheap Malta flights from Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds and Luton - and from Ireland has a service from Dublin.

Further helping the island’s economy Ryanair aren’t just flying to and from the UK and Ireland. In mainland Europe they have cheap Malta flights to and from Spain - Barcelona and Madrid - Pisa and Venice in Italy, and Stockholm in Sweden.

These flights from Spain, Italy and Scandanavia has helped Malta become more cosmopolitan, which in turn means visitors are more likely to visit from diverse destinations across Europe and not just from the UK. Helpful indeed to the island’s economy as it’s no longer reliant on just one country’s tourists to choose it from a multitude of other locations, especially when that country has been in a recession for two years and is only just beginning to emerge from it.

Holidays in Malta can now appeal to a wide range of people both from the UK and Europe, and with the cost now on par with a week in Spain there’s every reason to hope that the island will see a good number of holidaymakers visit for 2010.

More Malta holiday details are at http://www.yourmalta.com

Tourists often post comments about their holidays on facebook

Real estate markets the world over are seeing sharp price declines and a real lack of serious buyers as the recession hits home.

But it seems some areas of Europe are doing better than others at attracting new buyers and maintaining current property prices, while other locations have seen much sharper drops in their real estate prices.

Malta is a good example of somewhere that has seen sharp prices in recent years, helped by a domestic market complemented with buyers from overseas looking for second homes and to move to Malta on a permanent basis, which normally entails buying a Malta property. Overall Malta property might have dropped under three per cent in 2008 if recently released bank statistics are to be believed.

And Malta is a classic example of an island that could see property prices fall through the floor as the domestic market quietens down and international buyers from her main tourist market - the UK - stop buying altogether.

But at less than a three per cent drop, the Malta property market has so far avoided the big falls witnessed by some areas of Europe, despite her main market of the UK hiting recession and the value of the British pound dropping in value against the Euro - and it has avoided the price drop by diversifying, and seeing other nationalities move into the void left by the British buyers, notably from Norway and other Scanadanavian countries.

Whether Malta can withstand the pressures of the global economy taking a downturn remains to be seen, but 2009 does depend still largely on the UK economy, which at the moment isn’t looking too promising.

                                                               Recession

The hope of more buyers coming from countries like Norway is high, with some estimates suggesting that Norwegians could buy some 35,000 European properties between them next year, taking up some of the slack from a drop in the number of British and Irish property buyers - how many of those 35,000 buyers would be for Malta isn’t easily answered, and some estate agents fear it will not match the British and Irish demand of recent years.

Looking at a map of Malta, many buyers, whether from the UK,Ireland, Norway or elsewhere tend to head to the north of the island, to areas such as Mellieha and St Paul’s Bay, and with new properties going up over the last couple of years there could be some bargains from real estate developers hoping to improve their cash flow during the 2009 downturn.

And it’s not just the property market in Malta that is hoping for a good 2009. The holidays industry has seen a good revival over the last three years, with the number of holidays in Malta being sold increasing each year, and cruise ship passenger number arrivals hitting record numbers too - over 500,000 for 2008.

The Malta holidays market reversed a steady decline in her fortunes three years ago when low cost airlines started flying to Malta’s Luqa Airport. One major holiday company had even considered dropping Malta altogether as a holiday destination for British tourists, but the low cost flights to Malta has seen the Malta holiday industry revitalised. Without the low cost airlines moving in Malta would almost certainly be a niche tourist market now.

‘What was Malta like before the low cost airlines came on the scene?’ is a question some ask. The answer is easy - it was an island sleepwalking into oblivion as a tourist destination, and it took the arrival of Ryanair to wake up the island’s existing airlines.

But there could be something that will hit both the holidays and real estate markets in 2009 which the island has no control over - the strength of the Euro - which the island now uses - and the British Pound. In spite of the property and holiday markets diversifying and attracting new markets the British market is still by far Malta’s biggest. The Pound has dropped sharply against the Euro, and British tourists might be tempted to try holiday destinations such as Turkey which is outside the Eurozone in 2009 as it will offer good value for money.

There’s a lot of factors which will determine if 2009 is good for Malta, the island will be hoping the dice roll favourably!

The more expensive something is, the fewer people will be able to afford it. Airlines that offer lower cost airfares will ultimately carry more passengers and create more revenue than their more expensive counterparts. Low-cost airlines could be the underlying cause of the increase in tourism on Malta. In fact, some airlines claim to be more responsible for travel to and from the island than others.

Air Malta

Air Malta believe they are primarily responsible for Malta’s increase in tourism. About 77,000 more tourists flew from points in Europe to Malta in the first half of 2008 primarily because of Air Malta’s new pricing packages. A staggering 57 percent of those tourists traveled via Air Malta.

Chief Officer Commercial, Brock Friesen said, “We are building on the positive results registered last winter, when, for the first time in history, Air Malta transported over half a million passengers.” He also said that tourism to Malta was strongly benefitting from Air Malta’s increases in traffic.

Ryanair

In August, Ryanair reported carrying more than 40,000 passengers to or from Malta during the month of July. Ryanair spokesman Alessia Viviani said, “While Malta airport registered traffic growth of only 1.3 percent in July 2008 compared to July 2007, Ryanair has increased its traffic volume by 116 percent, making a vital impact on the Maltese economy.”

easyJet

easyJet is another low-cost airline laying some claim on the increase in tourist traffic to Malta. easyJet offers inexpensive flights to Malta and a variety of hot tourist spots throughout Europe. Since the first flight to Malta in March of 2008, easyJet has seen an increase in traffic to the island. The airline plans to continue several flights per week to Malta in the coming years.

The Impact of Low Cost Flights to Malta

Because the Maltese economy is reliant primarily upon tourism, low-cost flights to Malta have become important. The current state of the economy world-wide could cause people to reconsider vacations and weekend getaways. They may even cut them out of their budget entirely. The introduction of low-cost flights to and from Malta has actually increased the number of tourists the island entertains per year. Many tourists are repeat visitors who say they would not abandon their vacation to Malta, even if it means tightening the budget to accommodate it.

Some travel agents seek low-cost airlines and hotels to book more affordable travel packages for their clients. Clients often look toward professional travel agents to find the best cost for their favourite travel destinations. When resorts, hotels and airlines work together to combine great deals for their guests, travel agents promote those great deals to ensure more repeat business.

The impact of low-cost flights to Malta has been astounding. In 2003, about 1.2 million tourists visited Malta. In 2005, the island attracted nearly 1.5 million international tourists. Each year, Malta’s tourism statistics jump as much as 13 percent. The first six months of 2008 have already seen more than half a million visitors, effectively breaking Malta’s previously held record within the same time frame.

But for Malta travel guide http://www.yourmalta.com the answer as to which airline can claim credit for the island’s boost in tourist numbers over the last three years is clear.

‘Malta’s holidaymaker numbers were on a long term decline before Ryanair came along with flights to Malta’, they say, ‘And in the three years since Ryanair have been flying to Malta tourist numbers have climbed each year. It’s not a coincidence. The benefits Malta has had in an increase in tourist numbers is down to one company - Ryanair.’