Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/863487
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 AUGUST 2017 9 News JEANELLE MIFSUD MALTESE travellers working out their budget before departing the island appear to be prioritising the quality of their accommodation over travel fares. In the last three months of 2016, travellers spent 1.4% more on air or sea fares than they did in the same period the previous year, but forked out 13.4% more on accommoda- tion, according to official figures on outbound tourism published by the National Statistics Office. In comments to MaltaToday, Colin Aquilina, chief executive of travel agency ROCS, confirmed this trend, attributing the increase in spending on accommodation to the quality being chosen. "One thing we are noticing is the fact that the Maltese are opting for much better hotels or properties than before," Aquilina said. Both Aquilina and Simone Buge- ja, of agents Hamilton Travel, pinpointed families with young children as the largest market of travellers. Aquilina said that between June and September, family groups were "the norm", as a result of children being out of school for summer holidays. He also noted that, as of late, there was a growing number of ex- tended families who travel together once a year. "I feel that families are finding travel to be a form of family reunion in today's fast-paced world," he said. In fact, the largest group of travel- lers last year was made up of those within the 25 to 44 years age brack- et, with 224,572 outbound tourists. This group was followed immedi- ately by the 45 to 64 years bracket, with 137,109 travellers. However, Aquilina and Bugeja al- so mentioned couples as avid trav- ellers, while the ROCS CEO went on to name groups of friends and organised village groups as travel enthusiasts throughout the sum- mer months, in particular, he said, during the feasts season. Aquilina said short-haul vaca- tions are more popular among travellers, both Maltese and for- eign residents of Malta, as they are more affordable. In fact, data from Malta International Airport shows that the top five markets this year have consistently been the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France and Belgium, with the exception of June, when Spain moved ahead of Belgium with a marked increase of 38.2%. Aquilina said ROCS's most sought-after destinations this sum- mer were Cyprus, Disneyland Paris and the Pelagian Islands, while Bugeja said Hamilton's popular destinations this year were Slove- nia, Croatia, Prague, Paris and the UK. Bugeja said that most travellers opt for a week abroad or for "mini holidays", spending three nights away from home. Aquilina complemented this by adding that the Maltese are travel- ling more than they were previous- ly. "The fact that Malta is so well connected with many countries has made it easier for many Maltese to travel abroad more than once." Turning to long-haul destina- tions, Aquilina said that Dubai saw a "drastic increase" in demand this year, in particular the Atlantis resort. Other popular long-haul destinations Aquilina mentioned included South Africa, Australia, Japan, China, India and South Ko- rea. When it comes to these, Aquilina said that travellers tend to opt for organised trips. "The Maltese and also the many foreigners who have made Malta their home have lately developed a sense of adventure and curiosity when it comes to long-haul travel, especially because of the diversity in culture, traditions, culinary ex- periences, unique exclusive prop- erties," he said. "Tours are very popular especially for long haul destinations. Clients feel that in these destinations, they want to have the peace of mind of having all the itinerary organised and everything taken care of." "At the same time they want to have the expertise of a knowledge- able travel agent who helps them make the utmost of their time at a particular destination," he added. JEANELLE MIFSUD VALLETTA was ranked the 17th European capital for the best value accommodation up for rent on holiday accommodation website Airbnb. The data was collected from the Airbnb website across February 2017 by mobile discount voucher app, Vouchercloud, taking the av- erage price of an Airbnb rental in each country for one, two and six people. According to the data, the average cost of Airbnb accommodation in Valletta stands at €55 for one per- son, €62 for two persons, coming down to €31 per head, and a total €131 for a group of six, meaning €22 for each member. Across the island, strangely enough, it is more expensive for lone travellers to rent out a place with Airbnb than in the capital specifically. The average cost for an individual lodger rings up to €62 – meaning it costs €7 more to find a place to spend the night anywhere across Malta than in the capital. On the other hand, couples face a marginal increase in price, at €33 per head, while the rent would be equal for those travelling in clans of six. Comparably, topping the list for the most affordable capital is Tur- key, where a rental in tourist-fa- vourite Ankara peaks at an average of €26 for singletons, €17 per per- son for couples, and as little as €11 per person for larger groups. Hot on Ankara's trail was Podgorica in Montenegro, where prices stood at €35, €18 and €10 per person respectively for each group. The Cypriot cultural heartbeat, Nicosia, followed, hosting travellers for €59, €32 and €20 a head, respectively. On the other side of the ATM, Amsterdam is considered to be the most costly city on the room- sharing platform, followed by San Marino and Rome. Those seeking a trip to the Dutch capital might opt to travel in larger groups, as a rental can cost a single traveller €114, while the number falls drastically, to €59 per person, for couples, and to €39 per person for groups of six. In San Marino city a single lodger can expect to spend an average of €68, while for couples it would be almost half, at €37. In the case of groups, rent would come down to €26. Similarly, prices in Rome stand at €75, €40 and €28 each for lone trav- ellers, couples and groups of six, respectively. Manager (Projects) The Permanent Secretary (Financial Services & Iden ty) invites applica ons for the posi on of Manager (Projects) on a European Regional Development Fund Programme (ERDF) 02.035—Connected eGovernment (CONvErGE). Further informa on including details a ached to this posi on, can be obtained from the OPM website: www.opm.gov.mt Interested candidates are invited to submit a le er of applica on, a detailed CV, and copies of their cer ficates to the HR Branch at the Office of the Prime Minister via email on: human-resources.opm@gov.mt or by post to the address below, by not later than Monday, 21st August, 2017 at noon (Central European Time) Late applica ons will not be accepted. Solici ng will automa cally disqualify any applicants. Address: HR Branch, Office of the Prime Minister, Auberge de Cas lle, St Pauls Street, Valle a, Malta T: 2200 1017/2200 1010| E: human-resources.opm@gov.mt Opera onal Programme I – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 "Fostering a compe ve and sustainable economy to meet our challenges" Call for Employment part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund Co-financing rate: 80% European Union; 20% Na onal Funds In the last three months of 2016, travellers spent 13.4% more on accommodation than they did in the same period the previous year Maltese choosing better hotels over expensive travel Malta in Airbnb top 20 value accommodation