Malta gears up for fierce post-coronavirus competition in tourism

Dream Malta now, visit later advises a campaign launched by the country's tourism authority

With temperatures rising and summertime already looming on the horizon, many are wondering: when will all this be over and will we be able to travel soon. The uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is even stronger among those working in the tourism sector, which is already terribly affected by the crisis.

Well, the tourism professionals in Malta have no intention of staying still and waiting for the lockdowns to be over: with a new online campaign and a series of digital productions, they want to be one step ahead in the competition for tourists that promises to be without precedent.

Digital experiences to remind about the beauties of Malta

Earlier this week, Heritage Malta and the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) announced their collaboration for the promotion of tourism. They will be preparing a number of productions to promote the cultural and historical heritage of the archipelago.

The productions will focus especially on little-known and curious facts. The cooperation was announced at the perfect place for the purpose: the Neolithic Ħaġar Qim temples (Qrendi) part of the heritage of UNESCO, in the presence of public, business and tourism representatives.

A view in the Ħaġar Qim temples from November 2019. Photo by A. Dimitrova

The word of the local authorities

Mr David Schembri, the mayor of the locality of Qrendi, where the famous Neolithic temples are located, said for TheMayor.EU that "The Qrendi Local Council are taking advantage of the "COVID-19 lockdown" situation by turning this bleak period into a challenge, an opportunity as to how to get the optimal results from the current situation.

Working in Synergy with the Ministry for Education, The Ministry for Tourism, the Parliamentary Secretariat for EU Funding, the Church Authorities, together with the local Medical Practitioners and pharmacists as well as the Local Council Association, are helping our village cope with the Epidemic, enabling our constituents to #StaySafe through an aggressive education campaign, and daily medical updates and bulletins.

The virtual advantage of the World Wide Web has helped our council to promote our, "Best Practices", and learn from those of others.

Our village's streets, gardens, shops, food supermarkets, pharmacies, churches are all being disinfected weekly, as well as have all our touristic attractions and museums. This includes the sanitation of all public transportation, bus stages, as well as the bars and restaurants despite these being currently on lockdown.

No stone is left unturned in making our locality, and country as safe and hygienic as possible, and where our efforts are reaping most encouraging rewards and results."

Dream Malta now, visit later

Furthermore, on 17 April MTA launched a promotional campaign aiming to keep Malta on top of the minds of prospective tourists. By inviting them to “Dream Malta Now...Visit Later”, the authority wants to remind tourists of what awaits them once the pandemic is behind us.

The campaign will take place primarily online and will be accompanied by a series of social media posts conveying the same message.

The 60-second video clip is produced in fourteen languages. Video by VisitMalta

The CEO of MTA Johann Buttigieg explained that, in addition to marketing, the body is also engaged in projects aimed at improving the infrastructure and the levels of service provided through training for staff involved in the tourism sector:

“One has to keep in mind that, as soon as the COVID-19 crisis is over, competition among tourism destinations will be fiercer than ever. So, it is imperative that we are among the front runners when this occurs and that, together with our industry stakeholders, we can provide the best possible product to attract visitors to Malta as we were doing before the pandemic started.”​

What is so special about Malta?

The small European country has a lot to offer for a year-round tourism experience – from sun and beach to enriching cultural sites. Here are some suggestions on what you can do or see in Malta, with TheMayor.EU's stamp of approval:

• Spending a day in Mdina, the silent city
• Explore Valletta, the tiniest EU capital
• Qrendi, the European destination of excellence

No doubt, Malta is always on our bucket list for a good vacation.