Malta Is The New ‘It’ Holiday Destination For North Americans
Could the Maltese islands be the new Mediterranean hotspot for America’s Spring Break? New figures released by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) certainly seem to suggest so.
20,956 Americans have made their way here from the USA in the first half of 2018; that’s a 28.2% increase compared to last year.
We also saw an increase in Canadian tourists, where an increase of 23.5% was noted over since last year.
Michelle Buttigieg, an MTA rep for North America has attributed this increase to several factors. “An important part of Malta’s appeal to the North American traveller is that English is an official language. It is a safe, peaceful and stable EU democracy, with better vacation value than in other more expensive European countries,” Buttigieg said.
Other contributing factors were also noted, including the increase was the heavy promotion of local events and cultural celebrations, such as the Valletta Film Festival and the Isle of MTV.
In 2017, Malta saw a 24% increase in North American cruise passengers and a 30% increase in Canadian passengers.
Growth was also noted in the cruise market, where a total of 93,482 North American passengers made their way here in 2017.
“The increase is also due to the MTA’s continued promotional campaigns targeting niche markets that reflect the diversity of Malta and Gozo’s tourism product,” Buttigied explained. “The MTA has also garnered major publicity in the USA and Canada because it is proactive in working with prominent journalists and social media influencers.”
In addition, Malta was featured on more than 22 lists of Places to Visit in 2018.
What do you think of these numbers? Leave us a comment below
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