Malta Gains As Cheap Flights Get Even Cheaper For 2008

Recent news of another airline joining the race for the flight to Malta market has put pressure on the low cost airlines already operating to the holiday island to further reduce their prices to stay ahead of their competition - all good news for consumers and the Malta hotels and holidays industry as peoplke start looking ahead and booking for summer 2008.

But unlike some of the airlines running operations to and from Malta, Click Air will be flying in the peak holiday months of June to October, bringing in around 12,000 tourists to the island, a fraction of the estimated 200,000 tourists anticipated during 2007 delivered by low cost airlines as a whole.

Regular travellers to Malta are enjoying the benefits of increased flights competition. Not only has their choice of airline and airports serving Malta widened considerably, but the traditional favourite of many business and holiday travellers, Air Malta, has fought back against the new low cost airlines with reduced fares and offers of their own.

In their traditional market of flights from the UK to Malta, the airline started a new route from Liverpool's John Lennon airport in May this year, serving the north-west of England, and giving the people of Manchester a choice of flying from either their home town or Liverpool.

As part of their offensive to retain current passengers and to tempt new ones to use the airline, Air Malta are offering clients the opportunity to book flights in advance for this winter with prices starting from around 20 Euros (around US $25).

If successful the extra tourists for Malta in her off-peak months will be a welcome boost for the island's hotels and holiday trade, after a summer that could see a ten per cent rise in arrivals compared to last year.

With official tourism office statistics showing the rise in visitor figures for 2007 compared to 2006, a long period of decline has been reversed for people taking holidays in Malta.

With tourism numbers up, tourism chiefs have seen the magic bullet that has driven the statistics, and also embraced the concept of low air fares.

While Malta has previously received most of their visitors from the UK, the idea of diversification has become possible as low cost airlines operate from most European countries, and the island is already receiving flights from Germany and Spain.

The country has let it be known that they will welcome applications for flights from Scandanavia and other areas of Europe.

The u-turn is now complete, from a backward looking slow to respond tourist office, to one that sees a quick fix to Malta's previous declining popularity as a holiday destination.

With low cost airlines including Malta as one of their destinations prospects are good for the Malta hotels and holidays industry for the year ahead.