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Airline Prepares for Malta 2008 Skies

A new advertising campaign by Malta's national airline has seen her bounce back to popularity among holiday makers flying to the Mediterranean island.

Malta has good weather during the winter months, and as well as traditional one and two week holidays, many retired people visit the island for three or four months, renting an apartment or villa, with some taking advantage of long term hotel discounts, which in turn boost the occupancy levels of the hotels in Malta.

And it is while these were being booked that the airline saw a surge of interest in booking a flight to Malta.

The advertising campaign in Europe ran from August to end November, and the airline reported that good results came from the UK - Malta's traditional market - plus Italy, France, Austria and Germany.

While Malta will be pleased to note an 8 per cent increase in flight bookings from her core UK market, the importance of diversification and not relying on one market is understood, and a jump of 18 per cent in passenger bookings from Italy will be welcomed.

Included among the airline's advertising campaign in the UK was a 12 weeks campaign with Sky Television and on their internet site, while in the printed media full colour page advertisements were carried in the quality press such as The Times.

In France and Germany a combination of print and traditional media were used, while in Italy part of the campaign included for the first time text messages to established customer mobile phones.

The possibilities of the airline having a good 2008 are high, with their own advertising producing a boost - but also a rise in the number of tourists taking a holiday in Malta rose in 2007 and a further increase is anticipated for the year ahead.

2007 was a turning year for Malta, with previously poor publicity turning to good press reports in the media overseas. Both Germany and the UK have seen new low cost flight operators sucessfully applying to fly to Malta, and the increase in tourism can largely be put down to them.

The good news for Malta is that despite the increase in the number of tourists arriving on the island via low cost flights, the occupancy levels of hotels has increased from basic to 5 star, showing that Malta can appeal to all.

Malta hotels, airlines and the holiday industry are looking forward to 2008 with confidence.

About the Author

For holiday information about Malta, which includes information about the island's airport and Malta flights visit YourMalta.com The Malta site includes both scheduled and cheap flights along with a range of accommodation in Malta

Author Profile: Tribune2

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