A UK railway service provider has embarked on a marketing campaign to lure travellers to Portsmouth, a waterfront city, by comparing it to Malta.

Southern Railways, which provides services in south London and between central London and the South Coast, through east and west Sussex and Surrey, launched its advertising campaign in an attempt to boost tourism figures.

The Telegraph reported that the promotion campaign described Portsmouth as "The new Malta".

The newspaper said the advertising campaign followed the unveiling of a French-themes online video comparing Blackpool to a sophisticated European town. The sceptical report quoted Portsmouth resident Tim Courtnell saying the city got about two weeks of sunshine at best and one was more used to seeing people fighting than socialising in a quaint cafe.

He continued that the beach at Southsea was "a mixture of shingle and Stella Artois cans" and that "you wouldn't think of swimming in the sea".

The city's average summer temperature is 20.7°C, 10 degrees below the average temperature in Malta, while summer rainfall averages 44.5 mm, 10 times more than what Malta could expect in summer, The Telegraph continued.

Air Malta is the official airline partner of 2008 English FA Cup winners Portsmouth Football Club.