Now a new airline is set to bring even more tourists to Malta in 2008, and not from the island's traditionally strong markets of the UK and Ireland, but from Norway.



The news of flights from Norway is good news as the island seeks to diversify her tourist customer base, and looks to increase her share of the Scandanavian market.

New official figures show that this year's all important summer season has been the best in six years for Malta, reversing the decline in fortunes for the Mediterranean island.

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.

Further good news for Malta came from the figures for hotels and holidays with the news that while the number of arrivals from her traditional UK market rose by eleven per cent, the number of people from Germany visiting Malta increased by a third this year, adding strength to the holidays industry that has been reliant on tourism from one country in the past.

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.

2007 has been a turning year for Malta, with previously poor publicity turning to good press reports in the media overseas.

From the UK's Coronation Street filming episodes on the island, to official reports and independent journalists praising Malta as a safe place to visit, plus reduced fares from low cost airlines, the island has seen a real pick up in her tourism trade.

In a survey of 27 European countries by the World Health Organisation for example, comparing the rates of assault and murder, the UN body found that Malta was the second safest country, with Ireland the safest. Least safe were Lithuania and Latvia.

The new report comes in addition to one from an American journalist who last year placed Malta as one of the five safest travel destinations in the world, and a new report from the US just a few months ago confirmed Malta as one of the safest vacation spots in the world.

Commenting on Malta, the report praises the island for the non existence of organised crime, especially surprising perhaps given her proximity to mainland Italy - and closer still to notorious Sicily.

A surprise for many who have driven in Malta is that the report considers the island's roads to be safe. But this is backed up by official EU figures showing Malta has the lowest road related fatalities in the EU.

Last year's report helped to promote Malta's image as a safe destination to potential tourists considering different holiday destinations. Malta ranked as one of the top five locations for safety in the world, according to American travel writer Laura McKenzie.

Much of the increase in visitor numbers for 2007 has come about since the Malta government reluctantly agreed to allow low cost airlines to fly from the UK and Ireland, traditionally Malta's strongest market for holidays. The decision to allow the low cost flights came after some time of delay by the Maltese authorities, and was too late to stop a further decline in 2006 of visitor numbers.