Sun-starved British travellers have started to book holidays in Malta – but not until 2022, according to travel experts.
The UK is traditionally the biggest driver of tourism on the island, accounting for one in seven people who arrived at the airport before the pandemic brought holidays to a halt just over a year ago.
So when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced a decision on easing international travel restrictions by mid-May, there was a glimmer of hope for a much-needed tourism boost.
Britain’s largest holiday company, TUI, saw a 500 per cent surge in summer bookings and Greece and Cyprus also reported an increase. But this wasn’t the case for Malta.
“It is encouraging to see what is happening with UK operators but the figures of summer bookings to Malta are not as good as we would like them to be,” Noel Farrugia, managing director of Britannia Services, said.
Currently, travel to and from the UK is banned, except for Maltese residents and nationals as the country tries to dampen a surge in COVID-19 cases fuelled by the UK variant. While this restriction could be eased by the summer months, it is likely putting tourists off making bookings.
But while this summer is looking uncertain for arrivals, the picture appears to be brighter for next year.
“Whilst bookings for summer are slow, we have seen an increase in bookings for the winter months, from October to 2022,” Farrugia said.
Alan Arrigo, director of travel specialist Robert Arrigo & Sons Ltd, also noted a flow of bookings for next year.
“Usually, we do not see such early bookings but now British travellers are keen to book their holidays in Malta for 2022,” he said.
Those booking trips are mainly older couples, freshly vaccinated, with savings for a break in the sun and “longing to get out” after months of lockdown.
The figures of summer bookings to Malta are not as good as we would like them to be
“In January, we were receiving one or two bookings a day for summer. Since the UK’s announcement, we are seeing maybe five or six, which is a slight increase but nothing close to the 60-80 bookings we used to receive pre-COVID-19.”
He said that while the company is happy to see some bookings come in, they remain cautious.
“We are constantly noting the changes in tourism and travel. Come May, if the British government is unable to keep its promise, we will see these travellers cancelling or postponing once again.
“If, come summer, the UK still is a red zone for Malta, these tourists will not be allowed to come to Malta in the first place.”
The national airline, Air Malta, also noted that travellers remain cautious.
“We expect, and hope, that as the vaccination roll-out in the UK and across the world gathers momentum, states will safely start to relax their travel restrictions and that this will lead to an increased demand for travel,” a spokesperson said.
Locally, it is harder to assess the mood of the Maltese for travel abroad, given their usual booking habits, Farrugia suggested.
“The Maltese already have a tendency to book holidays late, now with COVID-19, booking is postponed till last minute as it all depends on the country’s number of cases, their vaccination roll-out and other factors,” he said.
When Britain announced its plans to exit lockdown, the agency received a surge of requests and questions regarding travel.
“This was the first time since March last year that we had so many clients asking us when we will be releasing our brochures, requesting information about flights and when will it be safe to travel again.
“People are eager to travel and are waiting patiently for when it will be safe.”
The president of the Federated Association of Travel and Tourism Agents, Iain Tonna, said that while there is interest for travel, it does not necessarily mean there will be a booking.
“When travel agents put out teasers and commercials, they always receive interest but they have not received many bookings as people are still very cautious.”