‘Adapting to New Tourism Trends’ Leslie Vella Director Marketing Support & Development

The role of the internet as a marketing, information and booking tool Tourists visiting Malta: 93% use the internet to search for information about travel. 77% have experience in booking travel online. The internet was a decisive factor in choosing destination Malta for nearly one of every four respondents. Nearly six of every ten booked their Malta trip or part of it on the internet.

Booking Behaviour The German market is dominated by package type of travel. In contrast, traffic from Italy and Spain is mainly non-package. Tourist flows from the UK and France are more evenly spread between package and non-package. UKFranceGermanyItalySpain Package51.5%52.4%71.0%22.4%23.8% Non- Package 40.9%36.6%16.9%56.7%67.5% Partly Package/ Partly Non- Package 7.6%11.0%12.1%20.9%8.7%

Booking Behaviour Package trips are mainly booked with tour operators/travel agents. Exclusively internet-based operators are more used by non- package travellers and where part of booking is of a non-package nature. Most non-package trips are booked directly with suppliers. PackageNon-packagePartly Package/ Partly Non- Package Tour operator/ travel agent 78%16%55% Directly with suppliers 3%66%24% Exclusively internet- based travel operator 17%23%25%

Malta’s Push-Pull Factors Competitors Countries considered prior to choosing Malta – Push Factors Influential Means Pull Factors Reason for choosing Malta Spain/Islands (28%)Recommendation by friends/relatives (32%) Climate (50%) Italy/Islands (19%)Previous visit (27%)Novelty (46%) Greece/Islands (18%)Internet (24%)History/Culture (39%) Portugal/Island (12%)Tour Operator brochure (11%) & Recommendation by travel agent (9%) Value for money (22%) Cyprus (11%)Newspaper/Magazine adverts (6.7%), articles (6.3%) Accessibility (14%) Turkey (6%) Egypt (5%) Travel guide (10%)Maltese Hospitality (12%)

Perception of Malta Malta exceeded the expectations of 27% and reached the expectations of 64% of respondents. 90% would recommend Malta to friends and relatives and 72% intend to visit the islands again. The top three words tourists associate Malta with are: 44%Welcoming/friendly 39%Heritage/History/Culture 25%Sun/Blue Sky

Accommodation Offer By Category 5*4*3*2* Self- catering apartments Very Good60%27%16%14%27% Good31%46%41%36%41% Average6%19%29%32%24% Poor2%6%9%12%5% Very Poor1%2%5%6%3%

Attractions/Facilities Historical Sites MuseumsRestaurantsEntertainmentRetail Very Good35%30%20%12% Good48%51%53%44%52% Average13%16%22%31%30% Poor3%2%4%10%5% Very Poor1% 3%1%

Adjusting to new tourism trends Tourists are booking late, shopping around more and comparing prices for facilities and services. As supply outstrips demand, we now clearly find ourselves in even more of a buyers’ market than in previous years. Information technology has facilitated the exchange of information between travellers. Tourist reviews have a huge impact on tourist decision-making process. Negative reviews have the ability to shift business away from a destination or a particular establishment. Successful destinations are the ones which promote themselves as excellent value, with no compromise in quality. Direct feedback from tourists indicates that Malta is increasingly being perceived as an ‘expensive’ destination where quality is not consistent. The medium to long term survival of the tourism industry in Malta also depends on improving these aspects.