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.

Malta

Easter is just around the corner, and are you looking forward to a nice relaxing well earned holiday in one of Europe’s top locations like Malta?

A dip in the hotel pool or the Mediterranean, a walk along the beach, a stroll along the promendade perhaps?

Not much else could be better or relaxing. But in many of Europe’s top holiday destinations the calm and serenity is often disturbed by salesmen and women pouncing unexpectedly to try to sell a timeshare unit in the vicinity.

Tactics can range from someone introducing themselves by holding a map and looking at first as if they are going to ask the unsuspecting holidaymaker how to get somewhere, but then launching into a sales pitch to try and get them to a timeshare presentation.

Another favourite is to offer a scratchcard, with a prize of a free round of golf, a bottle of wine, or something similar - every scratchcard is a ‘winner’ - the flipside being that it has to be claimed at a timeshare sales presentation.

Once at the timeshare presentation, the sales team go into overdrive, with a slick presentation promoting the virtues of buying a timeshare week.

Often included is the ultimate financial inducement - not only will you have your own holiday home in the sun - but it will be an appreciating asset than can be easily sold at a profit in years to come.

And if you like to vary the destination where you take your holidays? No worries, you can swap your timeshare week for another week at a similar resort in locations around the world easily, allowing you the freedom to vacation wherever you want, whether it be Malta, Lanzarote, holidays in Majorca or elsewhere.

But the truth is often far removed from what is claimed at timeshare presentations.

Timeshare units often plummet in value - do not buy a timeshare if you need the money and it forms a good part of your savings. Sometimes a week’s timeshare is advertised as a re-sale at less than 20 per cent of the price paid.

And don’t buy a timeshare week on the premise that you can holiday anywhere in the world, often timeshare owners find it nigh on impossible to swap their week with a week elsewhere, especially if the week owned is in low season.

Timeshare weeks in many European holiday resorts are a poor investment, carry annual maintenance charges that can add up to the equivalent of two return flights, and the chances of swapping for alternative locations not guaranteed.

Next time you’re approached by a timeshare tout, ignore them, and if they’re persistent report it the local tourist authority - if you do go to one of their presentations expect to be there a long time and be prepared to lose a fair bit of money.

For information about a holiday in Malta visit http://www.yourmalta.com and to see more about timeshare see what people are saying in real time with twitter

Malta

The  island’s tourist authorities have scored a major coup and helped secure Malta’s short and medium term future as a leading Mediterranean holiday destination recently, after it concluded deals with two of the UK’s top travel operators.

The agreements will see the island promoted well alongside Mediterranean competitors both in print brochures and via their respective online presence, but importantly Malta will be featured as a top destination in external media advertising as one of the locations offered to holidaymakers.

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

Malta

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.

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Writing in the UK’s best selling daily quality newspaper The Daily Telegraph recently, Matthew Teller praised the Ghajn Tuffieha beach near Valletta as one of the best in the world.