Last August, Malta was featured in an extensive 40-page review by prestigious French travel magazine GEO – the result of a media trip in Malta organised and co-ordinated by MTA. “I feel that this dossier best portrays the destination in the way that we are actively promoting it not only in France but across all of our markets,” says Claude Zammit Trevisan, Director of the MTA’s office in Paris.
Claude Zammit Trevisan joined the MTA in 1999. He gained experience working his way up in the overseas marketing offices of the Authority, having worked in MTA’s offices in London, Paris and Rome until 2019. He has recently been reappointed Director in the MTA Paris office in January 2023.
“The French market is a market I have very much at heart and I have seen it develop over the years. Today, with 10 per cent of the total tourist nationality mix, France consolidates its position in the ‘top 3’ most important markets for incoming tourism in Malta.”
Claude Zammit Trevisan, Director of the MTA’s office in Paris.“In 2022, Malta hosted almost 260,000 tourists from France – the highest amount ever recorded, which meant an increase of eight per cent over 2019 figures. The first nine months of 2023 have been excellent, with France recording a volume growth of 15 per cent over 2022 and of 22.8 per cent over 2019.
“These outstanding results are largely due to the consistency and perseverance of MTA, as well as the support of Maltese trade partners, who have been actively promoting Malta in France for decades,” added Zammit Trevisan.
He described the GEO media trip as an important milestone for this year’s PR deliverables on the French market, and an eye-opener in many ways.
“It was a bit tricky to organise the logistics of this trip, and I must admit we were very nervous due to the major roadworks taking place in Malta at the time of the press trip, the traffic being caused, and other aspects that we Maltese find negative. It was a leap of faith in the destination’s attributes, so we went ahead, knowing all too well that GEO magazine’s travel journalists would report what they find factually, be it positive or negative.”
After several exchanges with the journalists in France, the main skeleton plan for the article was laid out. With the help of MTA’s Head Office team, we drafted an itinerary which was indeed very complete, focusing on people and experiences, and covering topics as varied as Maltese culture and identity, the Maltese festa and fireworks, art and fashion, the incredible heritage and the prehistoric temple sites, our gastronomy, as well as an entire focus on the island of Gozo.”
“The hard work paid off. The journalists’ experience in Malta was so overwhelmingly positive that we ended up with a 40-page feature, plus the full front-page cover and editorial message from the publication’s editor in the August issue of GEO,” he added.
“I felt that the published dossier was an eye opener because it focused on Malta through a French perspective, and exactly the way we should, and are effectively promoting it here in France.”
French tourists’ motivations to discover Malta are diverse and this reflects the appeal of the destination
But what does he mean?
“The things we tend to take for granted are the things that tourists come to see and appreciate. The French value the authentic towns and villages, the encounters with locals, the genuine hospitality, the local traditions, and the rather laid-back, Mediterranean way of life.”
French tourists’ motivations to discover Malta are diverse and this reflects the appeal of the destination. Most of them visit Malta for its sunny climate and for its culture (47.5 per cent), a small segment (seven per cent) is captured by the diving industry, five per cent for business while three per cent come to learn English.
“Beyond the figures, what is really appealing about Malta is the sense of discovery that it evokes as a new destination. And it is this sense of discovery that we wanted to communicate through this initiative with GEO magazine.”
Asked about the recent developments with regards to Air Malta, Zammit Trevisan commented that the recently announced changes will not impact the French market given that the connections from Paris CDG, Paris Orly and Lyon will be maintained in 2024.
“Our success on the market is also due to the flight connections we have with France. This year, ten different airports offered direct flights to Malta. Apart from Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nantes, and Tarbes (Lourdes), Air Malta also introduced direct flights from Nice in its summer schedule and this has helped increase our reach and sales possibilities in the South of France.”
Although Ryanair will not fly from Toulouse and Bordeaux this winter, despite the airline’s positive performance on these two routes, Mr Zammit Trevisan is confident that with flights resuming in March, the impact will only be temporary.
“Air Malta remains our most important airline carrier for the French market. Its presence on the market is vital and the more consistent we are with flight schedules, the more we can be confident in growing this market further.”
Looking ahead, Zammit Trevisan points out that tourism destination marketing is a complex science and success no longer depends on flashy marketing campaigns alone but on several external factors which impact the destination, not least airline connectivity, pricing, as well as the actual product attractiveness back home.
He describes France as a mature European market and the French as very susceptible to issues of climate change, who tend to reward those destinations which are actively addressing the challenges of climate change and reduction in CO2 emissions.
“Malta appeals immensely to the French, and this is also why it is crucial that we do not underestimate aspects relating to sustainability and the environment and that we cultivate a more sustainable tourism industry for our islands.”
“While incentivising every opportunity for renewable energy remains very important on a national level, from a tourism perspective, our focus should be on strengthening tourism niches that promote low energy consumption such as walking and trekking, cycling, as well as water sports including sailing, swimming, snorkelling, and diving. Malta lends itself naturally to these kinds of activities, and we have the right infrastructure in place to encourage growth in these tourism niches.”
“Investing in more sustainable tourism measures will automatically shift our tourism profile to a more qualitative type, with a higher spend and a stronger engagement in responsible tourism experiences. We only win if we invest heavily in these sectors,” he concluded.
The French tourist market in Malta
MTA’s market profile surveys, together with statistics provided by the National Statistics Office give a very accurate picture of the socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics of French tourists currently visiting Malta.
The latest studies conducted in 2022 reveal the French tourist is relatively young with a mean average age of 48.8 years. The predominant age bracket is 25-44 (36.3 per cent), followed by the 16-24 age bracket (33 per cent). Interestingly, only 6.2 per cent are 65 years and over, showing Malta’s appeal with a younger audience, at least for France.
Most French tourists enjoy a tertiary level of education (65 per cent), are mostly in gainful employment (63 per cent), with some 20 per cent already retired. The level of repeat visitors stands at 10 per cent.