Reinvesting in tourism
The Maltese government is allocating €10 million towards a grant scheme for tourism operators. The funds form part of over €800 million structural and cohesion funds to be launched in three calls - the first during 2009 and two others during 2010. In...
The Maltese government is allocating €10 million towards a grant scheme for tourism operators. The funds form part of over €800 million structural and cohesion funds to be launched in three calls - the first during 2009 and two others during 2010.
In order to ensure that tourism operators are well informed about these funding opportunities, Bank of Valletta plc, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Malta Tourism Authority in collaboration with the tourism and sustainable development unit within the Office of the Prime Minister are organising an information session that explains funding opportunities for tourism operators.
With the double digit growth in the number of passenger arrivals when compared to last year, the Maltese tourism industry is experiencing a positive period of growth. In fact, the number of tourist arrivals last year reached 1,243,000 ‒ an increase of 119,275 or 10.9 per cent over 2006. Although package holidays decreased to 54.9 per cent in 2007, non-package holidays rose to 45.1 per cent. This indicates a change in the business mix with the amount of tour operator traffic decelerating and incidental travel increasing due to the arrival of low cost carriers such as Ryanair and EasyJet, which carried 237,000 passengers and account for 9.56 per cent of passenger traffic to and from Malta.
In the first five months of 2008 the number of tourists increased by 16.5 per cent to 447,935, while bed-nights increased by 6.3 per cent when compared to the same period last year. Although these positive results continue, there is a need for an increased focus on enhancing the experience of our foreign visitors when exploring the charm of the Maltese islands. Therefore, sustainable tourism and a further improvement in our product development is vital to achieving further growth.
During 2007, for every €1 invested in the industry, tourist revenue increased by €35.
The information session EU Funding Information Session: Opportunities for Tourism Operators ‒ Grant Scheme for Sustainable Tourism Projects by Enterprises is being held at the Intercontinental Hotel in St Julians on July 17.
For further information and booking, contact the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association on 21318133 or by e-mail: MHRA@ onvol.net.
In order to ensure that tourism operators are well informed about these funding opportunities, Bank of Valletta plc, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Malta Tourism Authority in collaboration with the tourism and sustainable development unit within the Office of the Prime Minister are organising an information session that explains funding opportunities for tourism operators.
With the double digit growth in the number of passenger arrivals when compared to last year, the Maltese tourism industry is experiencing a positive period of growth. In fact, the number of tourist arrivals last year reached 1,243,000 ‒ an increase of 119,275 or 10.9 per cent over 2006. Although package holidays decreased to 54.9 per cent in 2007, non-package holidays rose to 45.1 per cent. This indicates a change in the business mix with the amount of tour operator traffic decelerating and incidental travel increasing due to the arrival of low cost carriers such as Ryanair and EasyJet, which carried 237,000 passengers and account for 9.56 per cent of passenger traffic to and from Malta.
In the first five months of 2008 the number of tourists increased by 16.5 per cent to 447,935, while bed-nights increased by 6.3 per cent when compared to the same period last year. Although these positive results continue, there is a need for an increased focus on enhancing the experience of our foreign visitors when exploring the charm of the Maltese islands. Therefore, sustainable tourism and a further improvement in our product development is vital to achieving further growth.
During 2007, for every €1 invested in the industry, tourist revenue increased by €35.
The information session EU Funding Information Session: Opportunities for Tourism Operators ‒ Grant Scheme for Sustainable Tourism Projects by Enterprises is being held at the Intercontinental Hotel in St Julians on July 17.
For further information and booking, contact the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association on 21318133 or by e-mail: MHRA@ onvol.net.