Low-cost flights seen as key to more Polish tourists

Malta can attract a lot of tourists from Poland if only there were a direct low-cost flight throughout the year, Krystina Maria Mikulanka, Malta's consul in Warsaw said during a short visit to the island.

"Particularly during the winter months when Poles experience some of the most severe weather, Malta has an exceptional climate.

"The island definitely needs to find the means to offer low-cost flights from Poland," she added.

Lot Polish Airlines this year operated low-cost flights to Malta through its subsidiary company Central Wings, represented locally by SMS but this was only between May and October.

Ms Mikulanka was showing the island to two popular Polish personalities, Tadeusz Drozda and Eva Balcewicz whose visit was made possible by the Malta Tourism Authority.

Mr Drozda is one of the most popular personalities on stage and TV and has a particular love for seafood and golf.

In fact one of his stops was at the Marsa golf club, which he found an exhilarating experience "playing golf yet seeing around me, on the perimeter of the course, the silhouette of the Maltese churches and houses, something which I have not seen anywhere else, where courses are away from the town centres".

Ms Balcewicz, who is a freelancer for the Polish version of Jackie magazine, said she was impressed by the Maltese way of life which she described as "traditional" but which at the same time welcomes foreigners with open arms.

While here, she has talked to Polish women who have married Maltese and she spoke highly of local wine and fish which she found to be most tasteful.

Ms Mikulanka said the facility of a low-cost airline with the advantage of people being able to buy their tickets online would make a big difference to the number of tourist arrivals.