Within this new reality, we come to appreciate that small is also beautiful.  Boutique accommodations offer comforts, luxuries and intimate surroundings, away from the hustle and bustle of crowds and large numbers, meaning lower risks and ideal for a personal break, small incentive or for an exclusive corporate meeting.

Our islands boast several such properties located including historical palazzos in quaint streets, that are eagerly waiting to welcome you back.

Nine Heritage Malta attractions have received the 2020 Travellers’ Choice Award from Tripadvisor in recognition of their outstanding service and quality. The results of this coveted award programme were based on the quality and quantity of the millions of reviews, opinions and ratings collected on Tripadvisor in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Heritage Malta attractions which have received this prestigious award are the megalithic temples of Ħaġar Qim and Ġgantija, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, St Paul’s Catacombs, Fort St Angelo and Fort St Elmo (including the National War Museum), the National Museum of Archaeology, the Palace Armoury and Ta’ Kola Windmill.

These awards form part of the ongoing effort of Tripadvisor, which is the world’s largest travel platform, to support the recovery of the tourism and hospitality industry following the difficulties experienced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Tripadvisor’s view, through this programme, travellers can benefit from the real-life experiences of other people so that they can plan their perfect trip which meets their needs, budget and style. Winners of the Travellers’ Choice Awards consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of the sites on Tripadvisor.

“When considering how tough this year has been to our industry, such news encourages us to strive harder in order to keep ensuring the best service to our visitors. We’re passionate about our cultural heritage and these awards reflect our aim to excel in what we do,” said Heritage Malta CEO, Noel Zammit.

Find the full article here: https://bay.com.mt/wowzers-9-heritage-malta-attractions-receive-the-2020-tripadvisor-travellers-choice-award/

We are pleased to share the exciting news that the Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa will be reopening today,
the 1st of September. With this, we would like to update you on the steps they have taken in order to meet the new health and safety challenges presented by COVID-19.
As part of our housekeeping operations, they have a comprehensive set of cleaning protocols that are
designed to address a broad spectrum of viruses, including COVID-19, and include everything from
hand washing hygiene and cleaning product specifications, to guest room and common area cleaning
procedures.

Below are some of the measures they have in place:

• Implemented guidelines on chemicals and equipment to be used that are effective against
  viruses.
• Increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfection at high-volume areas and regularly
  touched surfaces. These include the counter at front desk, elevators, public bathrooms and
  room keys.
• Cleaning and disinfecting protocols are in place to sanitize rooms after guests depart and
  before next guest arrives.
• Increased frequency of cleaning in the ‘Back of House’, where hotel employees work behind
  the scenes.
• Increased associate health, safety and knowledge efforts, including hand hygiene protocols
  and specific COVID-19 related trainings.
• Introduced measures to minimize contact and reinforce social distancing.

Marriot Malta recognise that the COVID-19 virus has required all of us to be more thoughtful as we go about our daily activities. The staff would like to assure all it’s guests, that providing a safe and clean environment at the hotel, is their utmost priority.

Well done Marriot Malta, we look forward to working with you again soon!

Now that the days have gotten longer and the temperature has skyrocketed, the island has also become more and more alive. We can easily say that summer in Malta is one of the island’s main attractions!

Here are the top things to look forward to in summer in Malta!

LONGER DAYS TO ENJOY THE SUNSHINE

Summer days are longer which means that there is more sunshine to enjoy your day. Whether you’re going to the beach or you’re planning a fun day out to explore the island, you can count on daylight till around 8.30 pm.

DISCOVER ALL OF MALTA’S BEACHES

Whether you prefer rocky or sandy beaches, one of Malta’s highlights is the great opportunity of having the beach in close vicinity to everywhere!

WATCH THE SUNSET

Sunsets in Malta are glorious. If you’re spending a day by the beach, you can simply settle down with a beer or a bottle of wine and witness the island’s beauty as the sun goes down. Top sunset locations include Dingli Cliffs and the Mellieha area.

GO TO A FESTA CELEBRATION

There’s almost a festa celebration happening every summer weekend in Malta. Enjoy the perfect summer night with a fireworks display, celebratory bands and food from local food trucks. It’s the ultimate summer night on the island!

FESTIVALS AND CONCERTS ON THE ISLAND

Summer in Malta is jam-packed with various activities, especially when it comes to festivals and concerts. Popular festivals include The Isle of MTV, the Farsons Beer Festival, the Malta Jazz Festival, and many others. Make sure that you pencil in all the dates so you won’t miss a thing!

ENJOY DINNER BY THE SEA

Malta boasts a multitude of fantastic dining locations with an array of cuisines whilst you enjoy a breezy evening in Malta

DIVE INTO THE BIG BLUE

The Maltese Islands’ clear blue Mediterranean sea is ideal for scuba diving. All three Islands offer some unique diving experiences with an abundance of reefs, caves and wrecks that make diving here some of the most interesting in the Mediterranean.

KAYAKING THE HIDDEN COVES

Enjoy the hidden spots and the island’s coast whilst exercising and enjoying the sea.

The celebrated Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja revealed the exciting news that the annual summer concert is going to take place on September 4th. Referencing the local situation when it comes to COVID-19, the tenor assured that all the appropriate measures will be taken, and that the concert will be taking place outside in the open-air. The tenor did not divulge who his guests will be, but mentioned that the information will be shared soon.

Most hoteliers that participated in a survey put out by Deloitte believe that Malta and the rest of the world will achieve tourism normality by 2023.

A significant portion of hoteliers (17%) predict that pre-COVID-19 business levels will be achieved in 2024 or later.

In a bid to better identify what the post-COVID-19 tourism recovery process might look like, Deloitte looked into how the tourism industry was affected by major global events in the past.

• The 2003 SARS epidemic saw a 15% decline in tourism. Although this is a relatively minor decline when compared to the COVID-19 pandemic, it still took around five months for the tourism industry to recover.
• The 9/11 attacks saw a global drop of 15% in tourism. Following this event, normality in this sector was achieved after around 12 months. Due to the fact that this particular event was directly associated with travel, recovery time was longer. The aftermath of such attacks also stand to show how anxiety and fear of travel play a key factor in determining how long tourism will take to recover.
• The 2010 Global Economy Crisis led to a 10% decrease in tourism numbers, and the process of recovery took around 10 months.

These results serve to show that recovery periods in general – but the COVID-19 recovery period in particular – are not fast processes.

Furthermore, travel anxiety tends to slow down the recovery process far more than economic problems; hence why outbreaks and pandemics affect the tourism industry far worse than economic crises.

Find the full article here: https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/travel/most-hoteliers-believe-malta-will-have-achieved-tourism-normality-by-2023/

Malta has been awarded the prize for Connoisseur Circle Hospitality Award as the best cultural destination of the year.

The team at the Malta Tourism Authority in Germany received the honour of the Cultural Getaway of the Year 2020, as the best destination for those looking for a short and luxurious cultural destination.

Every year, the Connoisseur Circle, a luxury travel magazine, awards the best hotels, cruise liners, airlines and destinations in 15 different categories.  The winners are chosen by a jury made up of travel journalists and industry experts.

St John’s co Cathedral will re-open its doors to the public on Wednesday 15th July.

Here’s a few important changes to take note of :

New timings – 10:30 hrs to 14:30 hrs (last entry at 14:00 hrs).

New Numbers – a total of 189 visitors will be allowed at any one time / groups shall be of no more than 25 persons.

New entry regulations –

• Visitors will need to wear a mask/visor
• Visitors’ temperature will be taken at the entrance
• Public toilets will be kept closed

New pricing – Adults: €15.00

1° Luglio, data ufficiale della riapertura alle operazioni dell’aeroporto internazionale di Malta per l’Italia!

Malta quindi si avvia a passo spedito verso la riapertura totale del Paese in totale sicurezza.

Le compagnie aeree che opereranno verso l’arcipelago, confermate ad oggi, sono Air Malta, Alitalia, Ryanair ed Easyjet. Ti invitiamo a verificare l’operativo voli con la compagnia di riferimento. Qui di seguito la lista degli aeroporti:

*DAL 1 LUGLIO:

Catania: AirMalta e Ryanair
Bari: Ryanair
Bologna: Ryanair
Milano Bergamo: Ryanair
Milano Malpensa: AirMalta e Easyjet
Napoli: Ryanair  e Easyjet
Palermo: Air Malta
Pisa: Ryanair
Roma Fiumicino: AirMalta, Alitalia e Ryanair
Treviso (Marco Polo): Ryanair
Torino: Ryanair
Perugia: Ryanair
Pescara: Ryanair

*Tutti i voli sono soggetti a variazione, consultare l’orario dei voli sui siti dei vettori.

Per scaricare la brochure dedicata alla riapertura, clicca qui.<http://malta-vacanze.it/downloads/Malta_Sunny&Safe.pdf>

Il ministro del Turismo e della Tutela dei Consumatori, Julia Farrugia Portelli, ha voluto ribadire come l’apertura dell’aeroporto sarà fondamentale per il rilancio del settore turistico e, quindi, dell’economia dell’intero Paese: “il lavoro svolto negli ultimi mesi dalla pubblica amministrazione e dal settore privato, per sanificare e mettere in sicurezza il nostro Arcipelago, ha fatto di Malta una delle mete più sicure a livello internazionale. Per questo siamo pronti ad accogliere i nostri turisti per poter finalmente uscire da questa fase e rilanciare le sorti.

To view original article, please visit:
https://www.maltameeting.it/aggiornamenti/litalia-torna-protagonista-del-turismo-maltese/

As insider-information reaches The Times of Malta yesterday regarding the Malta International Airport to start operating again on the 15th of July, neither Prime Minister Robert Abela nor Superintendant for Public Health, Charmaine Gauci, have confirmed this.

Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said The Prime Minister will announce the airport reopening date in the coming days. Last Saturday, the government announced the extension of the travel ban until at least June 15, but sources told Times of Malta that the authorities are expected to extend it by another month to make sure all precautions are in place to try to contain the virus.

What has definitely been confirmed by Malta Airport CEO Alan Borg, is that MIA will have to operate with limited winter and summer schedules. To be exact, around 70 of the 120 winter 2020/2021 routes have now been cancelled, as well as some 60 of the 144 summer 2021 routes.