Low-fare airline Vueling Airlines will start operating between Malta and Madrid in April, as the Government continues in its mission to entice more tourists to the island.
Vueling Airlines, established in 2004, will be joining other low-cost airlines that fly between Malta and other airports in Spain, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech confirmed.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Dr Zammit Dimech said that initial figures for October and the first half of this month were making 2007 one of the best years ever.
The latest indicators show that passenger movements between November 1 and last Friday increased by 15 per cent, or 10,000 passengers, over November last year.
October was also good with an increase of 15.8 per cent, nearly 20,000 passengers, over the previous year.
Dr Zammit Dimech explained that not all passenger movements translated into tourists, because Maltese travellers had to be factored in.
The National Statistics Office figures, which will be released in the coming weeks, should give a more precise picture of the situation.
"Notwithstanding, these initial indicators of passenger movements, coupled with the feedback from stakeholders, consolidates our position as one of the best years," he said.
NSO figures for the first nine months of this year show that an additional 80,000 tourists arrived, the best figure in the past seven years, who spent Lm20 million (€46.6 million), as well as a 21 per cent increase in cruise liner passengers.
The latest indicators for October and November should continue the upward trend, reviving a sector which looked like it was in the doldrums last year.
Things started looking up last year, when Ryanair launched routes to Luton and Pisa on October 31, and since then the Government has been consistently registering good restults.
"The challenge starts this month, because we have to achieve growth in a good year. I'm sure we can sustain it."
This marked growth is the result of three conscious decisions the Government took: increasing seat capacity to Malta, through, but not solely, low-cost airlines; allocating an extra Lm1 million (€2.33 million) to the Malta Tourism Authority's budget; and making Malta an event-oriented venue to give tourists a unique experience.
"We are keeping our feet on the ground. We have reached this point with the support of all stakeholders and I hope we can continue to proceed in the right direction to achieve positive results."