After over three months of being shut down to commercial travellers, foreign visitors have landed at Malta International Airport.

For a country as reliant on tourism as Malta, many were happy to see the return of tourists to the island, while others remained concerned about whether this would lead to a rise in COVID-19 numbers again.

Malta’s airport reopened today with a select list of flights which will be expanded in two weeks, on the 15th of July. Though the tourism season was badly affected by the pandemic, Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said that the country aims to attract 700,000 tourists this year.

One of the first flights out of the country was to Rome Fiumicino, with 145 passengers, TVM reported. On its return flight, there will be 115 passengers.

Malta’s entertainment and hospitality industries were severely hit during this pandemic. For many of them, the airports reopening means a chance of saving the summer and making up for lost time.

Photos: TVM

Are you excited to see tourists return to Malta?