Travel is reopening across Europe, but the Maltese are still hesitant to book, according to travel operators.
The cost of COVID-19 tests, inconsistent travel restrictions and paper-based documentation required in some countries is forcing many to delay their travel plans.
People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can now download a vaccine certificate which will allow them to travel to and back to Malta with more ease, but for a number of reasons, the majority of Maltese are still waiting before booking flights.
Malta has now finalised testing its EU vaccine certificate systems, ahead of the official launch on July 1.
But a spokesperson for Air Malta noted that Maltese travellers remain cautious, reflecting a recent online Times of Malta survey.
While over recent weeks, the airline has experienced increased booking activity, it has been driven by overseas bookings.
“It is fair to say that younger people have more propensity to travel during this time. Travel colleagues are seeing that Maltese families and elderly customers are nervous and reluctant to book for summer.”
The ones that are travelling appear to choose Italy as their preferred destination. The comment was taken before the UK added Malta to its quarantine-free green list.
Noel Farrugia, managing director of Britannia Services, said bookings were slowly picking up, and those going on holiday are mainly booking quieter destinations and places that have more open and green spaces rather than big cities.
“Most bookings are for Europe, and we are seeing groups confirmed to travel to South Italy, the Dolomites, Slovenia, Austria and also Serbia,” pointing out that bookings are picking up for August after a slow July.
“This could be tied to the fact that the EU vaccine certificate will be out in July, and people are waiting to see what is happening in Europe, and then they will be book. I do believe that by mid-August, we will have more bookings.”
Tour operators are also trying to diversify to entice more people to travel.
“Britannia Services has created travel bubbles for all groups; so, if we have families with children who have not yet been vaccinated, we create a bubble for them, people who are fully vaccinated will be in their own bubble.”
ROCs Group director Rachel Vella said that since launching its new travel brochure, the company has received around 400 requests daily for quotations.
“After this horrible time that the travel industry has faced, it is positive to see that people are keen to travel,” she said.
Tours to Vienna, Greece, and Prague, have generated a lot of interest, but so far it is still early to say how many will actually book.
Vella said she believed trips to Sicily will remain popular especially with a new operator starting services from August.
ROCs has also seen a surge in requests from Maltese who choose to holiday on the Maltese islands.
One of these initiatives is the Intercontinental Malta offer, which customers can book using their €100 government vouchers.
“In three weeks, over 1,200 people have booked this offer, which is very good considering how quiet the sector has been in the past year,” she said.