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Advertisers MFSC - Malta Financial Services Centre Maltese-American Chamber of Commerce METCO - Malta External Trade Corporation Ltd.
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Getting to Malta just got easier
Air Malta’s new direct flight
Air Malta’s twice weekly flights from New York via Shannon, Ireland, have proven to be very popular. According to Minister for Economic Services Josef Bonnici, “the setting up of a better air link between Malta and the United States is considered to be an important development, not only to improve tourism from the United States, but also for business purposes. Better connections would enhance investment, allowing businessmen to save time.”
Kathryn Proffitt, the American ambassador to Malta, also sees the new air link as a successful undertaking. She believes that Air Malta will add even more direct flights in the future thus better connecting the two countries.
The Air Malta summer “experiment,” as it is called at Air Malta headquarters, lasted until early September. The success of this year’s service was such that the company plans to make the experiment a more permanent feature. This year, the air link was marketed mainly to the Maltese ethnic community in New York and the rest of the United States. Estimates are that as many Maltese are in the United States as are in Malta itself. Next year the company plans to market the service to other travelers, including those who are looking to fly just from New York to Shannon and from Shannon to Malta.
Air Malta’s proactive role in getting tourists to Malta is not surprising. The company has been at the forefront of generating tourism and marketing Malta as a destination since Air Malta’s inception in 1973. While this government-owned company’s main charter was to provide air service, Air Malta also has involved itself in Malta’s tourism industry in general. They own or partly own Holiday Malta, a tour operating company in England, Duty Free Shops, the Dragonara Casino, the Crowne Plaza Hotel and many other tourism-related products.
As Air Malta continues to market itself and the country to the rest of the world through traditional means and through the Internet, the company is also looking at other ways to attract attention to the island and draw in another niche of tourists. One idea is to attract those tourists who are visiting Southern Europe, especially Italy.
A ferry ride from Italy
A quick 90-minute ferry ride will take travelers from Pozzallo, Sicily to Malta. Milan is also only a comfortable three-hour ride from Catano, where an airport connects Sicily to Italy and beyond. The modern catamaran is a relaxing way to get to and from Malta, whether on a day trip or for longer. Tourists coming in from Italy arrive in the Grand Harbour and are only a short walk or cab ride from Valletta. Outside this old city is the main bus depot from where people can explore the entire island. Tours to the casino are also available or people can contact tour agencies who can arrange a special day or extended tour of the island’s most magnificent sites, including the small islands of Gozo and Comino.
Cruising to and from Malta
Another way to come to Malta is via a cruise ship. Even Cunard’s QE2 called into Malta in late 1998. Hundreds of people lined the docks to watch the ship’s maiden voyage, boasts Ivan Mifsud, whose company successfully handled the preparations for this historic visit.
Although cruise ships call in for only one day, a record number of ships arrives in Malta throughout the year, says the Malta Maritime Authority. A total of 248 cruise calls took 193,000 visitors through the port in 1999. Meanwhile, the percentage of deluxe-class vessels visiting Malta continued to rise.
Malta would like to promote itself as a “Hub for the Mediterranean” for both cargo and passenger vessels. As part of these plans, the government is at long last solidifying plans for a multimillion-dollar cruise terminal. This $50 million project has been in the works for quite some time, but Marc Bonello, chairman of the Malta Maritime Authority, insists that work on the terminal should commence soon. After a request for proposals, three companies are on the short list for this development project.
However, the island still faces challenges to become a hub and before it can sincerely provide cruise passengers with all the amenities of neighboring countries. While companies such as Mifsud Brothers or Sullivan & Sullivan can arrange tours for cruise passengers, many of the thousands of passengers who arrive are left to their own devices. When they arrive, very little signage is available to point out where to go. Some make their way around the docks and never even get to see the beauty of Malta. Those who are pointed in the right direction are forced to trudge up a long hill and are greeted by random “tour guides.” In the summer heat this experience can be a bit much for even the most intrepid traveler.
The island understands that it must make sure, if it wishes to attract and maintain cruise ship tourism, that amenities improve and the lives of tourists, especially those who will only have a few hours to get to know the island, are eased.
Malta faces a lot of competition from Greece, Turkey and other ports that traditionally attract, and cater to the most important cruise lines. However, Mifsud believes that Malta will be a great place for a Mediterranean hub, one that will also promote North African cruises, even trips to Libya, which he describes as an “unspoiled paradise.”
Yachting around the Mediterranean
Another way to arrive in Malta is by your own personal boat; you can even buy a boat in Malta, explore the Mediterranean Sea for a few months and then either dock or sell your boat back in Malta. Malta has a handful of yacht marinas. Unfortunately, most of them are overbooked. Manoel Island and its beautiful old (yet small) yacht club are undergoing significant renovation and expansion. By 2002, a new yacht marina will be open in Cottonera. This marina will be part of a multimillion-dollar development project that will also include refurbishing the beautiful, but dilapidated, old palaces and buildings in the Cottonera neighborhood.
S&D Yachts Limited is one of the island’s premier yacht brokers. Roland Darmanin Kissaun, managing director of S&D Yachts, admits that buying a boat in Malta may not be the ideal solution for the casual Mediterranean visitor. But for someone who plans to spend a good deal of time discovering all the secrets of the Mediterranean region, then Malta is a good place to buy a boat. For Europeans, who are looking for a place to dock their boats in a safe harbor, Malta is an easy flight away and is not as expensive as some of the traditional marinas.
Whether by plane, boat, cruise ship or catamaran, there are plenty of ways to get to Malta. And with the addition of new air routes, visiting this interesting island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea just got easier and faster.
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Table of Contents Building bridges and embracing the future |
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Trying to explain Malta’s exact location can be quite challenging. And to be truthful, I wasn’t quite sure myself where this island was and what it was all about. Upon visiting Malta, one quickly learned that this small island in the middle of the Mediterranean may seem like a world away, but in fact is just a hop, skip and a jump, albeit an Olympic style Jackie Joyner-Kersee long jump. Air Malta, the national airline, has just come out with two new methods of making the trip to Malta faster and easier.
Air Malta’s new code share agreement with TWA has also brought America closer to Malta. TWA’s twice daily flights through New York and Milan are attracting travelers who are interested in visiting both these countries while also taking a trip to the more exotic-sounding Malta. This year-round product will help keep the route “warm” throughout the year, explained John Saliba, group head of marketing and public relations.