Malta to Pay International Tourists Who Visit This Summer
Malta’s Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has unfolded his plans to offer international tourists a handout of €200 each for those who stay for a minimum of two nights in the country.
Such initiative has been taken in order to help the country’s tourism sector recover from the hard-hit that the industry has suffered since March last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic situation, AtoZSerwisPlus.mt reports.
Authorities in Malta previously announced that they plan to lift most of the imposed restrictions and other bans by June 1. Such a move would help the country to restore the tourism sector as well, among others.
According to Bartolo, a tourist who picks out a four-star hotel will receive 150 euros while those who choose a three-star hotel will receive 100 euros. If persons choose the island of Gozo in Malta, the grant grows by 10 per cent.
“The scheme is aimed at putting Malta’s hotels in a very competitive position as international tourism restarts,” Bartolo pointed out.
Malta expects to attract about 35,000 visitors this year, as the tourism sector accounts for over 27 per cent of the country’s economy.
Even though the country welcomed over 2.7 million international visitors in 2019, the figures decreased by over 80 per cent since the beginning of the pandemic.
At present, about 42 per cent of adults have received the first dose of the vaccine against the virus in Malta, which is the highest rate in the European Union.
In addition, Malta International Airport has announced that British airline, Jet2 airline, is looking to resume flights to Malta this summer.
The airline is seeking to conduct flights to Malta from Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, and Leeds this summer; however, the plan would be revived only if the Coronavirus situation permits such a step to be taken.
“Jet2’s current plans for operations to the Maltese islands have always been made in parallel with announcements by the UK government in relation to restriction. Presently, we’re still awaiting the UK government’s announcement of its traffic lights system,” a spokesperson from Malta International Airport (MIA) has emphasized.
MIA’s spokesperson went on saying that “given that the UK is a very important source market for Malta, we hope to feature among the green-listed countries.”
Malta is the 115th most affected country by the virus. A total of 29,720 persons have tested positive up to this point, based on Worldometers’ figures. The same source reveals that 403 persons have died from the virus in Malta, while 28,756 have fully recovered.
