For a Mediterranean island with good weather all year, a friendly local English speaking population and facilities to rival that of any of its competitors, Malta is an island often surprising that many people forget about planning a vacation in the Mediterranean.
Malta missed some of the tourist destinations of their own government in 2005, but a recent visit of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh resulted in four days of positive media coverage in the biggest market of the island - the United Kingdom - and in more than 50 other countries attending the meeting of heads of government, including Canada and Australia.
The Queen began her official visit to Malta before opening the meeting and was warmly greeted by the islanders environment.
Malta was ruled by the British for a hundred and fifty years, and became independent in 1964. But the island has retained many British characteristics, including driving on the left, and British visitors account for nearly half of the tourists on the island.
The George Cross ranks with the Victoria Cross as a decoration for bravery - and Malta was awarded the Cross in 1942 by King George VI of the island's resistance to German attempts to occupy the island of Malta is under attack almost constant since June 1940.
Just as the challenge of developing the tourists away from other Mediterranean islands like Mallorca and Menorca, Malta has had to face the additional challenge of new holiday destinations in the former Eastern bloc opening, such as Bulgaria and Croatia, which tend to be cheaper .
Brighter Future
But when the Malta Tourist Board has failed miserably in the market appeal of the island to the mass tourism sector with some success in recent years, the Queen's visit has come at the right time for hotels and tourism companies expect a good 2006.
Tribune Properties, a UK based company specializing in properties abroad including a comment from Malta:
'Malta is not a high priority in the list of vacation destinations for many British people compared to the Spanish Costas, Canary and Balearic Islands. The visit of the Queen showed Malta in a very positive light and hope that tourism officials of the island will be able to make travel and hotel reservations and holiday increase in the coming months. Given the history of the promotion of Malta 2006, but if you see an increase in visitors, will be in spite of official promotions, and not because of it. .
More good news for the Malta holiday industry came in October with the announcement that the low cost airlines had been given the right to fly to the island.
"This will help both the hotel and property industries in Malta 'add Tribune. "With the cost of reaching the island down, Malta has seen its share of the short stay holiday substantial increase in European market, increasing local employment and benefiting the overall economy.
