Leaders
of over 50 countries from the Commonwealth will be meeting on the
Mediterranean island of Malta from November 25 to 27, and for three
days the island will be enjoying the attention of hundreds of millions
of TV and online news viewers and newspaper readers worldwide.
Malta
has often been overlooked by holidaymakers and second home owners
in favour of other Mediterranean islands such as Mallorca, Cyprus
and Lanzarote, and hotels and estate agents alike on the island
are hoping that the three days of publicity will boost visitor numbers
for 2006.
With
good all year round weather and an English speaking population visitor
numbers from the UK, which make up about half of the island’s tourist
numbers, have been surprisingly flat in recent years, and with cheaper
holidays available in the new destinations from Eastern Europe such
as Bulgaria set to capture more of the UK holiday and property market
Malta could see tourist numbers remain level or even fall in future
years.
Malta
Holidays
Malta
missed it’s own target of a modest increase in tourists this summer,
and there are worries on the island that the opportunity to increase
awareness among potential visitors will be missed.
Michael
Johnson of Tribune Properties who specialise in properties for sale
in Malta comments:
‘Malta
is ideally situated in the Mediterranean to attract tourists from
all over Europe and further afield but for a lot of people I speak
to in other countries it isn’t an obvious destination of choice.
The
island has a strong domestic property market and doesn’t rely too
heavily on overseas property buyers like some of the Mediterranean
islands do, but at the same time those that do buy here play a good
role in the economy overall.
The
timing of the Commonwealth meeting is good as it’s just before the
New Year when a lot of people decide where they will be going for
their summer holidays, and next summer’s tourist could be next winter’s
property buyer. But they’re only going to do that if they visit
the island first, and I’m hoping that Malta will see an increase
in tourists in 2006 – it really depends on whether the island takes
this chance to market itself in the months ahead on the back of
the free publicity the Commonwealth will bring..’
The
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting takes place very two years,
and has its roots in the British Empire, with 53 members who were
former British colonies belonging to the organisation.
Queen
Elizabeth II is the head of the Commonwealth, and will be visiting
with Prince Philip for a two day trip to Malta to open the meeting
on November 25 in Valletta, the island’s capital. It will be the
royal couple’s first visit to Malta since 1992, and welcoming crowds
are expected in similar numbers to their previous four visits.
In
addition to the Queen and Prince Philip, among the attendees will
be the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Tony Blair, and the Prime
Ministers of Canada, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Singapore
and Australia.
‘Around
half of Malta’s tourists are from the UK’ adds Michael Johnson,
‘and it’s a similar figure for non islanders buying property here.
As well as increasing holidaymaker numbers from the traditional
UK market we should be trying to appeal to people in Canada, Australia,
South Africa and New Zealand and other countries who take a holiday
in Europe to consider visiting Malta for a few days to sample the
fine hotels, hospitality, history and culture that the island is
so rich in. But it remains to be seen whether the tourist board
is capable of translating good free publicity into visitors for
the island.’
The
Heads of Commonwealth meeting is being held in Valletta, Malta from
November 25 to 27. For a guide to the island, including holidays
in Malta, hotels, self catering holiday villas and apartments, flights,
car hire and details of Malta’s main towns of Valletta, St Julian’s,
Sliema, Mellieha, St Paul’s Bay, Qawra and Bugibba visit www.yourmalta.com
To request details of current property and real estate for sale
in Malta visit www.maltaproperty.info
