Malta Prepares For Big Dip

Global recession has forced a major re-think of tourist numbers for most holiday destinations - and the island of Malta in the Mediterranean is no exception.

The number of holidays being taken in Malta - nearly always by Europeans - has increased impressively in the last three or four years, as low cost airlines have made the island more accessible.

But a new prediction of the fortunes of the Malta holidays industry for 2009 will make painful reading for those employed in the tourist industry, and by those businesses and individual entrepreneurs who have invested their time and money in the hope of serving a good number of tourists this year and beyond.

The travel company, who have internet sites for various locations around Europe including their resource for Malta, have seen when Malta was struggling to make an impact on the tourist industry transformed in recent years by the arrival of low cost flights, and the number of holidaymakers increase each year to set new records with cruise ship passenger arrivals as well as traditional holidaymakers making their way to the island by plane.

But they are predicting that the island's visitor numbers could drop by as much as 20 per cent in 2009 - sending a chill down the spines of many of Malta's business community involved in the Malta holidays industry and peripheral businesses such as bars and restaurants who have a mix of both local and international customers throughout the year.

Malta's economy isn't entirely dependent on tourism like some holiday islands, but it does form a good percentage of her GDP, and with a 20 per cent drop in visitor arrivals unemployment would be bound to rise in the coming months, and salaries for those involved in the travel industry frozen in all probability for 2010 as the island looked to recover.

'The prediction we are making of a 20 per cent drop in holidaymakers to Malta this year is based upon our own figures comparing 2008 directly with 2009,' commented YourMalta.com recently. 'These figures will undoubtedly surprise many in the travel industry who are forecasting a lower drop in the number of Malta holidays being taken this year, but we think if hotels and Malta flights bookings are refelected in what we are experiencing the prediction could be an accurate one.'

One saving grace could be that people thinking of booking holidays to Malta are returning time and again to the travel site before making a decision - perhaps indicating that potential tourists are being more careful than usual this year and are checking regularly to see if there are any bargain holidays in Malta to be had, with tour operators offering good deals on both vacations and flights to Malta.

Britain is a very important market for Malta holidays, and adding to the island's problems in attracting the British visitor because of their own economic woes is that the pound is weak against the Euro, making Malta holidays more expensive than in previous years, with those Brits who are taking an overseas holiday often opting to take a holiday outside the Eurozone in locations like Egypt, Morocco or Turkey.

But Malta does have one important travel resource going for it that could mean those booking last minute holidays and putting together their own package of flights and hotels together - regular cheap flights to Malta from not only the UK but other European airports too.

Malta held out against the low cost carriers for some and it was only in the last few years that they were finally allowed to fly to Malta - and the turnaround in Malta's fortunes as a holidays destination was as quick as Malta was slow to see the tourism potential that low cost flights gives a destination. The hotels in Malta have been thriving with some of the spa hotels regularly featured in the European press as among the best in Europe, boosting further the number of people visiting Malta for a break.

With Malta's hotels providing first class service, the travel site hope the end of year figures show a different story!