«Current figures show a plus of 8.5%»

Louis Burgess, how is the tourism development in Malta this year?

Louis Burgess: Tourism in general has developed positively again this year. Current figures show a plus of ca. 8.5%. Malta International Airport has achieved a constant growth in the number of passengers and the number of cruise liners calling into Valletta has also reached high levels and figures here shown a progression of ca. 6%. Being an all-year destination makes it possible to accommodate and to sustain a healthy increase in arrivals and this makes our goal to have a controlled growth possible.

What about the demand from Switzerland?

The demand from Switzerland has been constant and fluid throughout the year. The increase in seat capacity from Switzerland was mainly in the months between February and June and this was ideal to achieve our goal of increasing the number of visitors in the shoulder months. We expose our islands through advertising, fairs, workshops, PR activities and press trips on a B2C level. Our partners – Tour Operators, Travel Agents and Airlines – are also part of our success and we are grateful for their loyalty and efforts. We work very well with the trade and our B2B exposure has always been of a high level. We have our online learning for travel agents www.malta-akademie.de where one can become a Malta Expert and receive a diploma.  We are currently at around 8% over last year which is very positive considering the high increase in Swiss arrivals we have experienced since 2011.

What are the tourism news in Malta this year?

On a Swiss level, we have seen Easyjet starting 2 weekly flights from Geneva from the end of March to end of October. Swiss also started its operations earlier than last year and introduced two new weekly connections from February to June. From July to the first week of November, Swiss operated 4 weekly flights which was on the same level as the previous year. The national airline, Air Malta, kept its daily flight from April to October from Zurich but increased capacity by operating an A320 instead of an A319. The 5 weekly flights from November to March have also been maintained. From Geneva, Air Malta operated a weekly flight. A lot of hotels have undergone refurbishment programs. We have also seen a number of small up-market properties opening in Valletta & harbour area and boutique hotels in Gozo. Notwithstanding our good results, we are aware that we must keep our standards at a top level in order to maintain our successful trends. Success cannot be taken for granted.

Could Malta score this year as a family destination?

Family travel has changed over the past years and families want more than just sea and beach. They want to experience a combination of things such as diving and English learning, swimming in crystal clear water and visiting cultural venues, an island combination of cosmopolitan Malta, idyllic Gozo and get-away-from-it-all Comino. The number of families visiting the Maltese Islands has been increasing on a yearly basis and this year, Gozo was a hit with its rustic farmhouses. The Autumn holidays have been the best for the past 15 years ….. extend the summer with air temperatures from 30° and sea at 24°. Malta is an ideal place to travel to, being just two hours away from Switzerland and offering very good value for money in a very serene environment.