Royals Highlight Forgotten Island
For a Mediterranean island with good year round weather, a
friendly local English speaking population and facilities to
rival that of any of her competitors, Malta is a suprisingly
often forgotten island for many people planning a holiday in the
Mediterranean.
Malta missed some of her own government's tourist targets in
2005, but a recent visit by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of
Edinburgh resulted in four days of positive media coverage in
the island's most important market - the United Kingdom - and
also in over 50 other countries attending the Commonwealth Heads
of Government meeting, including Canada and Australia.
The Queen began her official visit to Malta before she opened
the meeting, and was warmly greeted by friendly islanders.
Malta was governed by the British for a hundred and fifty years,
and became independent in 1964. But the island has retained many
British characteristics, including driving on the left, and
British visitors account for nearly half of the island's
tourists.
The George Cross ranks with the Victoria Cross as Britain's
highest award for bravery - and Malta was awarded the Cross in
1942 by King George VI for the island's resistance to German
attempts to occupy the island, with Malta being under almost
constant attack from June 1940.
As well as the challenge of drawing tourists away from other
Mediterranean islands like Mallorca and Menorca, Malta has had
to face the additional challenge of new holiday destinations in
the former Eastern Bloc opening up, such as Bulgaria and
Croatia, which tend to be cheaper.
Brighter Future
But where the Maltese tourist board has singularly failed to
market the island's appeal to the mass holiday market with any
degree of success in recent years, the Queen's visit has come at
the right time for hotels and holiday companies hoping for a
good 2006.
Tribune Properties, a British based company specialising in
overseas properties including Malta comment:
'Malta is not a high priority on the list of holiday
destinations for many British people compared to the Spanish
Costas, Canary and Balearic Islands. The visit of the Queen
showed Malta in a very positive light, and hopefully the
island's tourist officials will be able to capitalise on the
trip and increase hotel and holiday bookings in the months
ahead. Given Malta's past record of promotion though if 2006
sees an increase in visitors it will be despite of the official
promotions, and not because of it.'.
More good news for the Malta holiday industry came in October
with the announcement that low cost airlines had been been given
the right to fly to the island.
'This will help both the hotel and property industries in Malta'
add Tribune. 'With the cost of getting to the island coming
down, Malta should see her share of the short stay European
holiday market increase substantially, increasing employment
locally and benefitting the economy overall'. ###
Tribune Properties produce a country guide for Malta, including
embassy contacts, the weather, a map, hotels including the Qawra
Palace and Palm Court, holidays, car hire, villa holiday details
and Malta flights. Included are the main towns of Sliema,
Valletta, Bugibba, Qawra, St Julian's, Mellieha and St Paul's
Bay at http://www.yourmalta.com
Details of property and real estate for sale in Malta are
available by request at http://www.maltaproperty.info
For Malta hotels http://www.yourmalta.com/hotels, for a map of
Malta http://www.yourmalta.com/map