Released on = December 8, 2005, 9:00 am

Press Release Author = YourMalta.com

Industry = Transportation & Logistics

Press Release Summary = The visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the island of Malta to
open the recent Commonwealth meeting resulted in nearly a week of positive coverage
for the island on television, print media and the internet.

Press Release Body = For a Mediterranean island with good year round weather, a
friendly local English speaking population and facilities to rival that of any of
her competitors, Malta is a suprisingly often forgotten island for many people
planning a holiday in the Mediterranean.

Malta missed some of her own government's tourist targets in 2005, but a recent
visit by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh resulted in four days of
positive media coverage in the island's most important market - the United Kingdom -
and also in over 50 other countries attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government
meeting, including Canada and Australia.

The Queen began her official visit to Malta before she opened the meeting, and was
warmly greeted by friendly islanders.

Malta was governed 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
island's tourists.

The George Cross ranks with the Victoria Cross as Britain's highest award for
bravery - and Malta was awarded the Cross in 1942 by King George VI for the island's
resistance to German attempts to occupy the island, with Malta being under almost
constant attack from June 1940.

As well as the challenge of drawing 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 up, such as Bulgaria and
Croatia, which tend to be cheaper.

Brighter Future

But where the Maltese tourist board has singularly failed to market the island's
appeal to the mass holiday market with any degree of success in recent years, the
Queen's visit has come at the right time for hotels and holiday companies hoping for
a good 2006.

Tribune Properties, a British based company specialising in overseas properties
including Malta comment:

'Malta is not a high priority on the list of holiday 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 hopefully the island's tourist
officials will be able to capitalise on the trip and increase hotel and holiday
bookings in the months ahead. Given Malta's past record of promotion though if 2006
sees an increase in visitors it will be despite of the official promotions, and not
because of it.'.

More good news for the Malta holiday industry came in October with the announcement
that low cost airlines had been 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 getting to the island coming down, Malta should see her share of the
short stay European holiday market increase substantially, increasing employment
locally and benefitting the economy overall'.

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