Booking made from 55 countries via online travel and business portal

The shift from traditional travel agent reservations to online booking was highlighted in a presentation by ChooseMalta.com, the official Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association's booking engine, which is estimated to see 1.4 million unique visits this year - double the last.

Speaking to the trade at the BOV MHRA hotel survey yesterday, sales director Jonathan Shaw said the total revenue generated from bookings between January and August was Lm230,000, with the number of guest nights booked online amounting to 6,250.

The figures showed that online holiday advice and booking were the natural choice for the future, he said.

Mr Shaw said ChooseMalta.com would be experiencing an average growth of 500 per cent in 2007, with bookings being made from 55 countries, including China, India, South Korea, Argentina and Mexico.

In operation since 2004, the online travel and business portal received 28 bookings for wedding parties in Malta - a "big business online".

With regard to trends, Mr Shaw said most bookings (35 per cent) were made for the next month, while the average length of stay was five days, with 44 per cent arriving on Thursday and Friday, in line with the profile of those booking online - valid information for hotels, which could play around with rates.

The majority (42 per cent) booked four-star accommodation and came from the UK (40 per cent).

Mr Shaw said that, while 70 per cent of local hotels featured on ChooseMalta.com, it was the three-star section - a category that suffered and complained the most and that needed the most support in terms of internet penetration - that was the most reluctant to sign up and was encouraged to turn to IT.

The website made it a point to define "superior" and "deluxe" rooms, which only served to confuse those booking online, cutting through the gimmicks, Mr Shaw said. It was also offering the opportunity to upload a 45-second video of the hotels, while incorporating Google Earth satellite maps so browsers could zoom in on the hotels.

ChooseMalta.com, operated by Inspire Ltd, had been involved in a dispute with the Malta Tourism Authority when it had launched its own online booking system - visitmalta.com.

Mr Shaw said yesterday a court case on the issue would be withdrawn in the coming days as an agreement had been reached.

He described the arrangement as a "mid-way solution", whereby the MTA would keep its booking engine, but would feature ChooseMalta.com as an option, as well as other portals.