| Record breaking figures have come from Malta's | | | | holidays lobby who had urged the government to allow |
| cruise industry, with cruise ship passenger arrivals in | | | | low cost airlines to fly to the holiday island. |
| 2007 the best ever. | | | | The first three months of the year are traditionally the |
| What makes the figures particularly impressive for the | | | | quietest for the Malta holidays industry, and is thought |
| holiday island is that this year's record comes after a | | | | to reflect the year as a whole, with perhaps even a |
| record year in 2006, while the number of tourists | | | | close to ten per cent increase in tourism overall for |
| arriving by air had started from a low 2006 base, | | | | 2007 compared to 2006. |
| making air arrivals an easier target to reach last year. | | | | The surprise among the statistics is where the tourists |
| Just three years ago in 2004 Malta attracted 270,000 | | | | have come from. Many people in the Malta holidays |
| passengers from cruises, and took that over 300,000 | | | | industry expected a big increase in visitors from the |
| for 2005. Last year the island did even better to | | | | UK, but visitor numbers have remained static, as they |
| produce a record year and this year will produce an | | | | have from Germany and France. The increase in |
| estimated 425,000 arrivals. | | | | visitors came from Russia, Sweden, Belgium and Italy. |
| A new feature for cruise passengers visiting Malta is | | | | Good news comes not only from the increase in |
| an open top bus which will take them to places of | | | | tourist numbers, but also from the amount tourists |
| interest on the island, including the historic capital | | | | spend while on the island - some ten per cent higher |
| Valletta and the Grand Harbour area, to showcase | | | | than 2006, with cruise passengers spending more per |
| what Malta has to offer. | | | | person too while visiting Malta. |
| Commenting on the new facilities and impressive | | | | Another airline called Click Air has also joined the race |
| tourist numbers, a travel guide for Malta welcomes | | | | for the flight to Malta market recently, putting pressure |
| both, stating that cruise passengers might decide to | | | | on the low cost airlines already operating to Malta to |
| visit Malta in the future as a solo holiday rather than as | | | | further reduce their prices to stay ahead of their |
| part of a multi destination trip if cruise passengers like | | | | competition, - all good news for consumers who have |
| what they see, and with increased cruise passenger | | | | a choice of flying or taking a cruise which includes |
| numbers Malta has the opportunity to increase the | | | | Malta as a port of call. |
| number of holidays being taken annually on the | | | | Regular travellers to Malta have never had it so good. |
| Mediterranean island. | | | | Not only has their choice of airline and airports serving |
| The combination of increased tourist numbers comes | | | | Malta widened considerably, but the perennial favourite |
| at a time when the number of passenegrs arriving by | | | | of many business and holiday travellers, Air Malta, has |
| air has also seen quite an increase, and the two | | | | fought back against the new low cost airlines with |
| methods of arrival for Malta helped transform the hotel | | | | reduced fares and offers of their own and the number |
| and holidays industry fortunes for 2007 with 2008 | | | | of cruise ships visiting Malta could follow a similar |
| Malta holidays looking good for another increase. | | | | pattern in the year ahead. |
| The number of tourists choosing Malta rose by seven | | | | Included at YourMalta is a Malta photo gallery, Malta |
| per cent in the first quarter of 2007 compared to | | | | holidays, information about Malta's Luqa Airport and |
| 2006, and gives vindication to the Maltese hotels and | | | | Malta flight deals with Ryanair and Air Malta. |