Heading for some winter sun

WITH the winter chill predicted to last four months in the U.K. Brits will be heading abroad for some winter sun in their droves. Research conducted by beach holiday specialist On the Beach has revealed Spain as the most popular winter sun destination this year, with the Canary Islands and resorts across the mainland attracting more Brits than any other destination in Europe, with Turkey firmly back in the Top 5 winter sun destinations.

Top 10 most popular winter sun destinations:

1.   Canary Islands
2.   Mainland Spain
3.   Balearic Islands
4.   Turkey
5.   Algarve (Portugal)
6.   Greece
7.   Malta
8.   Morocco
9.   Egypt
10. Cyprus

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Sail away

SEABOURN, the world's finest ultra-luxury cruise line, introduced its newest vessel to the world with a festive naming ceremony for Seabourn Ovation in the beautiful baroque harbor of Valletta, Malta on May 11.

Seabourn orchestrated a line-up of celebratory events, including a live performance by the ship's godmother, actress and singer Elaine Paige OBE, one of the world's best-loved and most highly awarded artists. Following her performance, she made a traditional blessing and released a bottle of champagne that was broken against the ship, a time-honored ship naming tradition.

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Extra tours of Fort St Angelo

HERITAGE #Malta has announced that the upper part of Fort St Angelo managed by the Knights of St John (Sovereign Military Order of Malta – SMOM) will be more accessible to visitors during August and September and the special daily guided tour of this part of the fort will be held also on Sundays.

This part of the fort was leased to the SMOM in 1998, and subsequently restored. This area was made accessible to the general public a few months ago following an agreement with Heritage Malta. Access is restricted to an exclusive daily guided tour capped at 30 participants. These visits are available from Monday to Friday at 11.00am.

However, for the months of August (6th, 13th, 20th, 27th) and September (3rd, 10th) these visits will be held also on Sundays. The limited number of tickets available is assigned on a first come first served basis and costs €5 for adults, €3 for students and seniors, and €1.50 for children between 5 and 11 years.

Sitting atop the highest point of the promontory, the upper part of Fort St Angelo is definitely one of the oldest in the fort’s extensive timeline. It includes the Keep, the most defendable section of the fort, intended to be the place of last resort during the Middle Ages, when the stronghold was known as the Castrum Maris. In this secluded quarter stands the Castellan’s House, its name derived from the tenant who occupied it until 1530; a person of trust appointed by the King in Sicily to oversee interests in Malta.

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Picture Credit: pintrest

Malta Tourism Authority deplores false warnings on social media

THE #Malta Tourism Authority deplores the false warnings circulated on social media advising beachgoers against swimming at a number of locations due to allegedly dangerous sea conditions. These warnings, claiming to be issued by the St. John’s Ambulance, are an example of ‘fake news’ aimed at dissuading members of the public and tourists from frequenting local beaches and creating unnecessary fears.

This year, lifeguard services fully funded by the Malta Tourism Authority are provided at a number of beaches in Malta, Gozo and Comino by two organisations: A-Medical in Malta and ERRC in Gozo and Comino. This is part of the services, improvements and enhancements that MTA carries out every summer to make popular beaches around the Maltese Islands better organised, cleaner and safer. 

Actions include the engagement of beach supervisors, the provision of waste separation bins and bags, accessibility facilities such as ramps, hoists and beach wheelchairs, signage and more. 

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Play stops Work in Malta

NOTHING worse than going on holiday for a relaxing time only to hear construction noise, well head to #Malta because they have it sorted.

Tourism areas will be spared the noise and disruption caused by demolition and excavation works over the summer months, in accordance with a legal notice banning such work between June 15 and September 30.

The ban is being spearheaded by the Planning Authority, the Building Regulation Office and the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA).

It is aimed at alleviating the intrusion that construction sites have on both the tourism industry and the number of Maltese families who move to their summer residence.


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Inbound tourists increase for Malta in February

TOTAL inbound visitors to #Malta for February increased by 27.7% when compared to the corresponding month in 2016.

A total of 81,706 inbound tourist trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 14,691 were undertaken for business purposes. The remaining 7,502 visited Malta for other reasons, including educational and religious reasons, and health tourism.

Inbound tourists from EU member states went up by 30.6% to 90,472 when compared to the corresponding month in 2016. The majority of inbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44, followed by those within the 45-64 age bracket.

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Light up the sky in Malta

THE 16th Malta International Fireworks Festival is organised by the Ministry for Tourism and the #Malta Tourism Authority. 

This years annual event takes place between Saturday April 22 and Sunday April 30 in three different locations around the Maltese Islands, namely Xagħra (Gozo), Marsaxlokk and the grand finale in Valletta's Grand Harbour.

The festival includes #fireworks displays designed by foreign pyrotechnic companies as well as some of the best local fireworks factories. The displays can be enjoyed by all free of charge. 

www.maltafireworksfestival.com

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Malta's Azure Window disappears

WHAT nature gave she also took away, on March 8 one of Malta's leading tourist attractions was destroyed in a storm.

The #AzureWindow a 28-metre-tall limestone natural arch on the island of #Gozo in #Malta was located in Dwejra Bay and was one of Malta's major tourist attractions. 

The arch, together with other natural features in the area, has appeared in a number of international films and media productions.

Will it be rebuilt as a man-made replica?

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Miles in Malta

THE Dingli 10 is one of the most prestigious races on the local running calendar in Malta with its scenic beauty and challenging route. This year is the 27th race and it has a new name - ‘The Lisa Maria Memorial Dingli Ten Powered by Gatorade’.

This year, the race will be held on Sunday, March 19 and will start from Triq il-Kbira (near the Dingli Cemetery) with the finish line near Ġnien il-Ħaddiem in Triq il-Maddalena.

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Private Charter to Malta with Mansfield Town Football Club

MANSFIELD Town Football Club and Stags Air are offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel on the club’s private chartered plane when we head to #Malta as part of a pre-season trip next July there is a limited amount of places available for the trip which will see you sat with the players, management and directors.

Travel to the Mediterranean with us in luxury and style next summer enjoying the three hour 30 minute journey with complimentary champagne and a variety of foods to enjoy during your flight.

Departing from Western Aviation (adjacent to Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster) at 11am Monday July 3, you will receive a luxurious welcome in an exclusive VIP lounge before you take off. After a week in one of Europe’s most popular countries, you’ll be flying back to Robin Hood airport departing from Malta International Airport at 12 noon local time on July 10 all for £1,100.

The club has also announced an exclusive flight & accommodation package to include a signed Stags' shirt, free admission to first team matches in Malta (fixtures to be confirmed) as well as an exclusive invitation to a barbecue with the first team squad on a selected night for just £3000.

www.mansfieldtown.net

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Air Malta's Award-Winning Livery

AIR Malta’s colourful aircraft livery continues to win prestigious awards around the world. The Maltese airline has won the ‘Outstanding Airline Livery’ section during the 2016 Awards event of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo’s airport.

“The Maltese Airline is very happy to see that the world recognises the very special livery of Air Malta. Inspired by the warmth of its culture and population, the aircraft are an extension of the Maltese Islands and are recognised around the world. Air Malta wants to make people feel they have arrived to Malta the moment they see the aircraft at the airport”, said Paul Sies, Air Malta’s Chief Commercial Officer.

Winners of the awards’ various categories included KLM, Finnair, Aeroflot, Air Astana, China Southern Airline, Korean Air, Air France, Czech Airlines and airBaltic amongst others. The awards took place with the participation of over 100 representatives from airlines, online agencies and tour operators.

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Carnival in Gozo

CARNIVAL fever starts in #Gozo on Sunday February 19 with events planned in several locations over a period of seven days.

Malta Public Transport has said that it will be operating a special public transport service to facilitate travel and accessibility to those attending the Carnival in Nadur, between the 24th and the 26th of February.

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Picture Credit: Ivan Rigamonti 75409642@N06/22806219378 Fabulous creatures via photopin

Music in Malta

JULY 20-23 sees Malta come alive to the sounds of the annual Jazz Festival which takes place in Valletta. 

This is the 26th edition of the festival and the events of Thursday 21 July in the evening have been shifted from Ta’ Liesse to Valletta centre with free concerts. 

The midday concerts happening during the 19th to the 23rd of July will be introduced in this summer’s Fringe and will also be free of charge.

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Top holiday destinations for 2017 . . .

SKYSCANNER has released its lists of the top seven #holiday #destinations for 2017 with #Malta topping the list at number 1 with Cornwall at number 4.

Skyscanner’s Top Seven Hotspots for 2017 

1. Malta 

2. Asturias, Spain 

3. Barbados 

4. Cornwall, UK 

5. Romania 

6. Okinawa, Japan 

7. Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

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