Ira Losco is turning up the charm offensive ahead of her appearance in tonight’s Eurovision semi-final in Stockholm with a new message directed to her European fans spelling out why Malta would be the perfect place to host the Eurovision next year – if, of course, we could just get that long-awaited win.

“The weather is amazing, the people are great, we could have a Eurovision island instead of a European village,” Losco said in a video posted on her Facebook page this morning, speaking over swooping shots of the Maltese islands. “We have so much sea and sun to offer you, great nightlife, amazing food. You have to come to Malta.”

The Maltese team has been very proactive in its use of social media so far, with the YouTube video for Walk on Water has attracted more than four million views in the last month, the second highest number of views for any of the Eurovision songs.

Nor is this the first time the chance of a summer trip to Malta - and the unlikely but alluring possibility of an open-air event, has been floated as a good enough reason to hand over 12 points, with local and foreign Eurovision commentators alike readily proclaiming that Europe is ready to visit Malta. 

Losco goes into tonight's semi-final as an odds-on favourite to qualify for the Grand Final on Saturday, where bookmakers currently rank her as an outside shot for the overall victory. Could the promise of beaches and tasty local food help Ira to victory? Probably not, honestly, but who can fault the effort?

Timesofmalta.com will be providing live commentary of the first semi-final from our reporter in Stockholm this evening from 8pm.