Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1148959
NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JULY 2019 LAURA CALLEJA OUTBOUND travel from Malta shows no sign of subsiding – in 2018, tourism from Malta to other countries rose by 16.5% in the second quarter of the year, according to the National Statis- tics Office. While some travellers would rather book their holidays over the internet, renowned travel agencies across Malta say that package holidays are still going strong, offering travellers a re- laxing option to have their holi- days all sorted out for them. Colin Aquilina, CEO of ROCS Travel, said that packages for Disneyland Paris remain one of the travel operator's number one destinations. Yet destina- tions like Paris, Dubai, London, Cyprus and Prague among many others are not far behind. "Primarily, most Maltese look for family holidays or destina- tions where the whole family can have a well-deserved break. Certain destinations like Disney, Dubai and Cyprus are extremely well equipped to cater for fami- lies." Aquilina said that these des- tinations understand that their businesses are focused on fami- lies and as such offer "amenities and services in line with family requirements." However, both Norman Ham- ilton, chairman of Hamilton Travel and Kevin Sciortino, a manager at Orange Travel, have reported their biggest sales in cruises, particularly in the Medi- terranean. "The demand for cruises in these regions has surpassed to the point were for 2020, we will be having two cruise lin- ers weekly – one sailing to the western Mediterranean and the other one to the east," Hamilton said. Hamilton explained that one of the main reasons cruises are so popular with the Maltese was because of their full board, along with having non-stop entertain- ment. "Cruises can, in some regards, make life easier, for example be- ing able to leave your luggage at the cruise terminal and find it outside your cabin and vice versa on disembarkation. It takes a lot of hassle away from the traveller, who may not want to stay lug- ging a suitcase from one place to another," he said. Apart from cruises, demand remained strong for Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Prague, Rus- sia, Italy, and Lourdes. On his part, Sciortino also add- ed the UK, Sweden, Cyprus and Greece. "Right now, we're seeing a surge in combination packages, where clients will book a few days at sea, and then a few days on land." Adventurous travellers Exotic destinations are also attractive to Maltese travellers. Aquilina said ROCS Group was starting to see more adventurous travellers interested in destina- tions like South Africa, Austral- ia, Maldives, Vietnam, Colom- bia, Bali, Thailand and Cuba. "These destinations have be- come popular not just with the younger generation but also with older seasoned travellers who are wanting to travel and discover new cultures and expe- rience new cuisines," Aquilina said. It's what they refer to as a 'thrill of a lifetime', he added. Hamilton also confirms the growing interest of Maltese in countries such as Thailand, Chi- na, India, Vietnam, Nepal and Cambodia. But Scortino adds that the ad- venturous travel group are in a minority, and usually from a younger crowd. "Travellers over 50 prefer staying closer to home, in my experience." Aquilina says destinations such as Myanmar (Burma), Philip- pines, Bali, Maldives, New Zea- land are also up and coming, and worth a visit. "They're must-sees for all those who believe it's better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times," he added. And indeed 'closer to home' are places like Jordan and Morocco, which Hamilton says have prov- en to be popular destinations for adventurous travellers. Package hols and cruises rule, but Maltese also tempted by exotic lands Exotic destinations are also attractive to Maltese travellers