Hotels consider becoming all inclusive resorts

A number of hotels in the north are looking at the possibility of transforming their property into all-inclusive resorts, Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said this morning.

Addressing a press conference about an initiative bringing over 1,000 German travel agents to Malta for five weeks to promote the island, Dr De Marco said the government wanted to affirm its commitment to the German market, the second most important to the local market.

It had brought over 212,000 tourists in 1999 and although the numbers dropped to 128,000 in 2003, the market was again improving and 150,000 German tourists had visited Malta last year.

Dr de Marco said this winter saw a decline in seat capacity from Germany. Ryanair cancelled its Bremen route and Germanwings dropped its twice weekly flights from two German airports. However, Air Malta would be introducing twice weekly flights to Stuttgart.

Frosch Touristik International chief executive Dietmar Gunz said that Malta’s tourism sector lacked all inclusive resorts which could attract more people to the island.

“They need to cater for that person who has €500 in his pocket and wants to come on holiday with his family without ending up short of cash,” he said.

Tourists, Mr Gunz said, wanted their holiday destinations to be more accessible, which made flights out of regional airports all the more important.

“We do not need big frequencies, but a flight a week would help us bring people,” he said.