Tourism operators are anxious about business in the upcoming summer months, despite Malta’s flight ban being lifted on Wednesday, as pandemic fears decimate the country’s most important industry.
Several prospective tourists have still not confirmed their holiday to Malta, despite making their bookings, operators said, while many visitors are planning to stay with friends and not at tourist accommodation.
With projections that only around 20% of last year’s tourism numbers will be reached, operators are fearing the worst.
Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association head Tony Zahra said the tourist numbers are currently “too small” to establish trends about travellers’ choices or potential future plans.
Bookings in hotels and other accommodation establishments depend entirely on the number of airplane seats available on the market, Zahra said.
But this too did not necessarily mean that those travelling to Malta will be staying in hotels.
“A good number of those coming to the islands so far are visiting friends and relatives and so that means they will likely spend their time here staying at private homes,” Zahra said.
While the number of Malta’s new COVID-19 cases have been low for weeks and the situation is under control, some countries are still registering daily increases, and this was to the detriment of the island’s tourism industry.
“One day we hear the pandemic has passed, the next we hear that it’s back… there is uncertainty everywhere and things change on a daily basis. This means we cannot yet talk about long-term plans and results,” Zahra told Times of Malta.
Gozo Tourism Association head Joe Muscat echoed the concerns, saying operators in Gozo were struggling to strike a balance between catering for the domestic market while also being prepared for tourists visiting the island.
“Everything is very fluid. Operators are often in a dilemma, especially for bookings in August. Most tourists have not yet cancelled their trips, but they are also not confirming them.
“At the same time, although the domestic market has picked up, most people coming over from Malta only stay for the weekend, as opposed to tourists who stay for a week or more.”
Self-catering more popular
Many remain reluctant to mingle with people who are not family members or part of their group of friends, so the majority of bookings in Gozo have been for self-catering accommodation.
According to Muscat, though visitors of all ages are heading to the island for a short break, people’s requirements seem to be the same – they want clear information on safety protocols, and they want to be sure they can stay away from strangers.
“We are seeing a lot of very cautious visitors, something which was not the case before the pandemic,” Muscat said.
On this, Zahra again said it was still too early to speak about trends in Malta though again called for the authorities to enforce regulations when dealing with Airbnb-style accommodation.
“We have always insisted there is no enforcement with Airbnb and that is something which is needed more than ever,” Zahra said.
Where are the Maltese going?
While Muscat confirmed that people from Malta have been taking short holidays to Gozo, with the trend set to continue throughout summer, it seems many are also venturing to nearby Sicily.
“The number of passenger bookings are not at the same level as last year but still more than expected,” according to a Virtu Ferries spokesperson.
Virtu Ferries, which operate catamarans to Sicily, has been forced to reduce its passenger occupancy by over 40% to comply with COVID-19 precautions.
The spokesperson, however, said the vessel’s garage deck is already full for a number of voyages.
And according to an Air Malta spokesperson, the most popular destinations of the new schedule are Catania, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Prague, London Heathrow and Paris.
Though the spokesperson did not provide any additional information on ticket sales, he confirmed the airline will be operating a trimmed flight schedule “due to the current situation”.