Update with MHRA and ALPA statements below – “Malta will be gradually welcoming tourists back to our country from the beginning of June,” announced Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo. He added that, “this period has been agreed with the Public Health Authorities together with all parts of the tourism sector.”

The Minister explained that the first markets the country will be opening for will be the European ones as well as the UK, because these same countries are “expected to have satisfactory vaccination rates by the beginning of June.”

He also launched the tourism recovery plan amounting to around € 20,000,000 in direct aid and commitment for local businesses and tourism sectors.

This will be divided into various incentives and assistance schemes over the coming weeks and months to start preparing for the gradual opening of the tourism sector from the beginning of June, the Minister said.

Schemes will also be issued by the Malta Tourism Authority over the same timeline which are dedicated to travel operators, English language schools, the Conference sector (MICE) as well as events and festivals sector. However when asked by the media about the entertainment and festivals sector, Minister Bartolo assured that “no experiments would be made with people’s lives.”

Minister Bartolo said that in addition there will be initiatives addressing Quality Assured Visitor Attractions, individual tourists, long-stay tourists, sports tourism as well as diving tourism.

The Minister for Tourism said that the ultimate goal of this plan is that in the shortest time local tourism will embark on the path of recovery, “so that our country can generate the necessary number of tourists who will be able to support the investment made by the local sector.”

“For this summer, in terms of air connectivity, Malta International Airport will be on the map of 18 different airlines with 4 of them being in operation for the first time in our country. These numbers are equivalent to 70% of the airlines that were operating to Malta back in 2019,” remarked Bartolo.

The Minister also mentioned that for the summer months the Valletta Cruise Port has announced that Malta will be forming part of 34 different routes on the itinerary of cruiseliners visiting the Grand Harbour.

“Together, we must pull one rope so that tomorrow we can look back and say that we have all done our part to make our country stronger than before the pandemic started,” concluded Minister Clayton Bartolo.

Update – MHRA statement

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association welcomed today’s announcement, saying that it believes that as international travel begins to restart, “keeping Malta front and centre in consumers’ minds will be critical.”

All destinations across the globe has experienced the impact of Covid and will be seeking their share of the recovery, said MHRA.

It added that, “now is the right time for Malta to punch through the noise and create an immediate desire to visit. Flexibility, above all, will be key.”

MHRA appealed to everyone to “continue being responsible so that numbers are kept constant and accordingly the health system can continue to give the best possible care for those who contract the virus.”

ALPA statement

The Airline Pilots Association – Malta has also welcomed the Government’s plan, since it said, “this shows that Malta is ready, able and willing to start the road to recovery.”

The Association noted the cautiousness and diligence with which this recovery plan is being approached, which it said is for “free independent travellers as opposed to mass tourism strategies.”

Coupled with the ongoing advice from Public Health Authorities, ALPA said that, “these strategies add security and peace of mind not only to the European tourist who may be eyeing his first destination after the pandemic, but also to the local operators and stakeholders in the industry.”

ALPA went on to say that it is aware of the fact that all airline pilots in Malta will be “key players in such a strategy which is set to help both the aviation industry and the Maltese economy.”

Photo by Alain Salvary

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