Real
Estate In Malta - Royal Visit Boosts Island's Property Prospects
By Roger
Munns
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| Malta's image has needed
a boost for some time to attract tourists and overseas property buyers
and to compete with other Mediterranean islands such as Mallorca, Cyprus
and Lanzarote.
Malta hosts the Commonwealth meeting
in late November, and in attendance will be Queen Elizabeth II, Tony Blair
and the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and 50 other
countries, along with the media from
each country.
Will Malta let this golden publicity
opportunity slip by? |
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Leaders of over 50 countries from
the Commonwealth will be meeting on the Mediterranean island of Malta from
November 25 to 27, and for three days the
island will be enjoying the attention
of hundreds of millions of TV and online news viewers and newspaper readers
worldwide.
Malta has often been overlooked by
holidaymakers and second home owners in favour of other Mediterranean islands
such as Mallorca, Cyprus and
Lanzarote, and hotels and estate
agents alike on the island are hoping that the three days of publicity
will boost visitor numbers for 2006.
With good all year round weather
and an English speaking population visitor numbers from the UK, which make
up about half of the island's tourist numbers, have been surprisingly flat
in recent years, and with cheaper holidays available in the new destinations
from Eastern Europe such as Bulgaria set to capture more of the UK holiday
and property market Malta could see tourist numbers remain level or even
fall in future years.
Malta Holidays
Malta missed it's own target of a
modest increase in tourists this summer, and there are worries on the island
that the opportunity to increase awareness among potential visitors will
be missed.
Michael Johnson of Tribune Properties
who specialise in properties for sale in Malta comments:
'Malta is ideally situated in the
Mediterranean to attract tourists from all over Europe and further afield
but for a lot of people I speak to in other countries it isn't an obvious
destination of choice.
The island has a strong domestic
property market and doesn't rely too heavily on overseas property buyers
like some of the Mediterranean islands do, but at the same time those that
do buy here play a good role in the economy overall.
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St John's
Source:European Commission
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The timing of the Commonwealth
meeting is good as it's just before the New Year when a lot of people decide
where they will be going for their summer holidays, and next summer's tourist
could be next winter's property buyer.
But they're only going to do that
if they visit the island first, and I'm hoping that Malta will see an increase
in tourists in 2006 - it really depends on whether the island takes this
chance to market itself in the months ahead on the back of the free publicity
the Commonwealth will bring..'
The Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting takes place very two years, and has its roots in the British
Empire, with 53 members who were former British colonies belonging to the
organisation.
Queen Elizabeth II is the head of
the Commonwealth, and will be visiting with Prince Philip for a two day
trip to Malta to open the meeting on November 25 in Valletta, the island's
capital. It will be the royal couple's first visit to Malta since 1992,
and welcoming crowds are expected in similar numbers to their previous
four visits.
In addition to the Queen and Prince
Philip, among the attendees will be the United Kingdom's Prime Minister
Tony Blair, and the Prime Ministers of Canada, New Zealand, India, South
Africa, Singapore and Australia. |
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'Around half of Malta's tourists
are from the UK' adds Michael Johnson, 'and it's a similar figure for non
islanders buying property here. As well as increasing holidaymaker numbers
from the traditional UK market we should be trying to appeal to people
in Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand and other countries
who take a holiday in Europe to consider visiting Malta for a few days
to sample the fine hotels, hospitality, history and culture that the island
is so rich in. But it remains to be seen whether the tourist board is capable
of translating good free publicity into visitors for the island.'
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| The Heads of Commonwealth
meeting is being held in Valletta, Malta from November 25 to 27.
For a guide to the island, including holidays
in Malta, hotels, self catering holiday villas and apartments, flights,
car hire and details of Malta's main towns of Valletta, St Julian's, Sliema,
Mellieha, St Paul's Bay, Qawra and Bugibba visit www.yourmalta.com |
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Various
views of Malta. Source:
European Commission
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For details of over
seventy apartments and villas for sale in Malta visit
Malta
Property where details are available by email.
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Links to
other retlated sites and resources:
| The Mediterranean Islands Of
Malta And Gozo - The
Mediterranean Islands Of Malta And Gozo - The Republic of Malta
lies only forty nautical miles south of Sicily at the 36th degree of latitude
– almost the same like Monterey, California, or Nashville, Tennessee. Up
to the Ice Age, the islands were part of a land bridge between Italy and
North Africa that was flooded when the ice began to melt. Since then the
waters of the Mediterranean sea have shaped Malta’s coastline and created
a fascinating scenery. Because of the island’s strategic position north
of Africa’s shoreline, it attracted numerous kings and emperors with their
warriors and legions in the antiquity, as well as the Knights of St. John
in medieval times. |
| Malta & Goza - Mediterranean
Haven - Malta & Goza - Mediterranean Haven - Malta
& Goza - Mediterranean Haven - Malta & Goza - Mediterranean Haven
- Sunny days…low living costs…English-speaking neighbors…the romance of
long ago…plus $75,000 seaside apartments…on the Mediterranean islands of
Malta and Gozo - Island farmhouses and houses of character can be surprisingly
affordable. For example, small stone farmhouses with flat roofs and inner
courtyards on Gozo go for $125,000. From The Best Of International Living
- by Steenie Harvey |
| Property Picks: Your own 17th
century château, Italian restaurant, or beach front property in Honduras,
Barbados, or Malta - Property
Picks: Your own 17th century château, Italian restaurant, or beach
front property in Honduras, Barbados, or Malta - More opportunities
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including email addresses, phone numbers and web sites where you can find
out more information on the place or establishment that you are interested
in. |
| Malta Job Listings -
Malta Job Listings - International Jobs Resources for expatriates &
those seeking a life overseas: Malta Job Links. |
| Moving to Malta - Moving
to Malta - Resources for Expatriates. |
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