Malta sees a rise in tourism bookings as war hurts Cyprus

Malta’s tourism industry has seen an uptick in bookings as the US and Israel’s war on Iran spreads to Cyprus, while other tourists originally bound for the Gulf also rebook for Malta, according to hoteliers.

Industry sources told Times of Malta that Cyprus’ tourism industry had suffered “tremendously” since the start of the conflict, and that most of the bookings rescheduled for Malta had come from those originally headed for the eastern Mediterranean island.

Monday saw an Iranian drone crash into a British military base at the southern tip of Cyprus, with a UK defence official saying military personnel were at “at the highest level”.

The preceding day, the UK’s defence secretary said Iran’s retaliatory attacks following massive US-Israeli bombardment had included “two ballistic missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus”, while noting they did not appear to be targeting the island, however.

The UK’s destroyer-class HMS Dragon is expected to arrive in Cyprus next week, while France is also deploying military assets to the island. Several European countries have pledged military assistance to Cyprus as the Middle East conflict intensifies.

Meanwhile, Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) president Tony Zahra told Times of Malta that those planning on travelling to Gulf countries had also rebooked for Malta.

While the sector was not yet seeing “huge numbers, it is happening”, said Zahra, while cautioning that the unfolding situation in the region could see the situation reverse and present difficulties, however. 

“Things can change very quickly – especially if the conflict moves closer to home,” he said, adding he had so far not received reports of cancellations of stays in Malta following the travel disruptions.

Zahra noted that past regional conflicts had also seen the local tourism industry affected, both positively and negatively. 

The disintegration of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s had stimulated bookings for Malta, while the outbreak of war against Iraq in 2003 had a “very bad” impact on Malta’s tourism industry, which saw business plummet for between six and nine months, Zahra said.

‘Reminds us of the pandemic’

Director of local travel agency ROCS Group, Rachel Vella, told Times of Malta the company had been “working around the clock” to support its clients abroad. 

“In many ways the operational pressure reminds us of the pandemic period, when as travel professionals we had to respond very quickly to changing circumstances.”

She said the United Arab Emirates – which is among the locations hit by Iranian retaliatory strikes – “represents an important part of our business, with Dubai being the most popular destination for our Maltese travellers”.

Vella added that staff and partners in the region had expressed confidence in authorities’ handling of the crisis, however.

The recent Gulf instability follows an intensive bombing campaign by the US and Israel against longtime foe Iran, with the US claiming to have carried out attacks on more than 2,000 targets inside the country – more than double the strikes seen against Iraq as part of the US’ “shock and awe” campaign of 2003.

Meanwhile, yesterday, the CEO of German aviation giant Lufthansa warned of “medium- and long-term forecast uncertainty” following the outbreak of the conflict, describing the flight routes through Gulf hubs like Dubai as a “geopolitical Achilles’ heel”.

He said the airline had seen an “enormous increase” in demand for long-haul flights to Asia and Africa because of major disruption at hubs like Dubai and Doha.