Malta Among European Destinations That Neared Pre-Pandemic Volumes in May
ETC has revealed that Malta is only a little bit behind the pre-pandemic volumes, suggesting that the country might reach the levels registered in 2019 during the summer months as the number of travellers is expected to increase, AtoZSerwisPlus.mt reports.
Similarly, Italy, Greece, and Croatia also almost reached the pre-pandemic volumes in May. On the other hand, tourism hotspots such as Spain and Portugal bounced back to pre-pandemic levels.
Even though Malta was not able to reach pre-pandemic levels in May, the country is expected to register an increased number of tourist arrivals in August as the country has already announced that it plans to lift the COVID-19 entry restrictions.
The Maltese authorities announced earlier this week that the country would drop its COVID entry restrictions on July 25.
As soon as the restrictions get dropped, all travellers will be permitted entry to Malta even if they do not hold a vaccination, recovery, or test certificate.
ETC predicts that the willingness to travel this summer will prevail, suggesting that all countries will register an increase in the number of arrivals.
According to ETC, it is predicted that Europe will recover 70 per cent of pre-COVID travel demand this year.
“COVID-19 restrictions have been rolled back, and people are eager to make up for two years of lost travel opportunities. We are witnessing a much faster rebound than travel businesses in Europe had been expecting,” the President of ETC, Luís Araújo, said, following the publication of the quarterly report.
Nonetheless, it has been highlighted that staff shortages may prove to be an obstacle to a complete recovery. Araújo stressed that the top priority for European tourism recovery in the upcoming months is to bring back talents as well as make careers in the sector more enticing.
“It is also crucial that the EU continues to monitor the impact of inflation on the cost of living – Europe must do everything within its power to ensure that travel does not become inaccessible for the average European,” Araújo added.
So far this year, ETC explained that Bulgaria (-8 per cent), Serbia (-10 per cent), and Turkey (-14 per cent) had the strongest rebounds in tourist arrivals. On the other hand, Latvia has registered a slower tourism recovery from the pandemic (-63 per cent) due to its geographical proximity to Russia.
