Malta has finally decided to lift all restrictions on flight arrivals and welcome back tourists on July 15 including from the United Kingdom. British tourists arriving for leisure and business trips will be welcomed back on Malta, Gozo and Comino once again. It has been decided that flights will resume from 18 UK airports with routes operated by Air Malta, British Airways, easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair.
Earlier, Air Malta announced that it would offer a number of connections for the summer months as it seeks to rebuild its network. The Maltese Islands observed strict lockdown measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic for several months, similar to the rest of the world. As a part of a rapid response against the coronavirus outbreak, the government closed the airport to commercial passenger flights on March 20. However, as the situation has slowly started to get better, the country has also decided to revive itself.
Tolene Van Der Merwe, Director UK & Ireland, Malta Tourism Authority said in a press statement that with nearly 650,000 tourists arriving in 2019, Malta is very popular destination for British holidaymakers. She mentioned that authorities would be delighted to welcome back travellers from the United Kingdom on July 15 if the Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice is amended by that date. She shared that the streets of Malta have been extremely quiet recently and the people are keen to welcome back tourists who have loved the sunshine, culture, food and warm spirit of the venue over the years.
She further added that around a quarter of all arrivals to Malta are from Britain which makes it an important market for the tourism sector and authorities are grateful for the support of airline, tour operator and travel agent partners who helped share Malta as a tourist destination with numerous people. She mentioned that during the lockdown the tourism authority has been working with the trade to deliver as much training as possible. She said that they also look forward to provide them support even after the lockdown is over with lots of planned incentives, training and trips.
She concluded that as the islands observed coronavirus hiatus, authorities have been occupied with works like restoring monuments, erecting new Michelin star plaques and making necessary arrangements to welcome visitors in a better way than before. The Malta Tourism Authority U.K. trade team has also created a ‘Reopening Course’ for agents, including eight modules that covers arrival, the ‘Certified Compliant’ concept, dining, accommodation, getting around and more.
Tags: Coronavirus, Covid-19, Malta, Malta tourism, Malta Tourism Authority
