Malta has more than 300 days of sunshine per annum. Valletta, Malta’s capital, is a fortified Renaissance city that simply exudes history and culture, coupled with a great range of restaurants serving really good food.It is also a tourist destination that is attracting more and Irish visitors.
In 2019 it enjoyed more than 60,000 visitors from Ireland, and for the first three months of 2020 this trend continued with a year on year increase of 20%.The addition of direct flights from Cork Airport were a major factor in this traffic growth.
So what plans has the Malta Tourism Authority have for the future,Tolene van de Merwe is the Director for the UK and Ireland and she told ITTN’s Michael Flood, the strategic plans for the Irish market post covid.
In 2021 it will be back to basics with the marketing§ and promotion starting from scratch.A new multi media campaign is planned to give the message to the consumer that Malta is back in business and that the destination has implemented a Government led safety measures to ensure visitor safety.
She is a strong advocate of travel trade support and sees Malta as an agent friendly destination.In addition the resumption of Travel agents training and also a number of fam trips for Irish travel agents are in the plans.
The resumption of direct flights from Dublin and Cork will be an essential in planning for a post covid visitor return.
Malta is full of culture with three UNESCO World Heritage Sites to be found on the Maltese Islands: the Megalithic Temples, the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, and the City of Valletta. The Maltese Islands are ranked as one of the top three in the ‘Best Diving Destination in the World’ category at the Diver Magazine Awards and offer an array of unique dive experiences with reefs, caves and wrecks to explore. The rocky terrain and sheer cliffs are a climber’s paradise and there is plenty to do to keep teenagers off their iPads with Jeep Safaris, Quad Bike, Segway and Rolling Geeks Tours. The Maltese also pride themselves on empowering, love, life and diversity with Malta Pride week taking place every summer.
