Posts Tagged ‘2008’

Malta Pushes Culture For 2008

Initial reports suggest that the holiday island of Malta has had a best ever year for tourism in 2007, and is now considering how she can broaden her appeal.

With a history dating back thousands of year tourism bosses have decided that a mix of history and culture is a market the island can tap in 2008, and will be marketing it to the UK and other European countries.

Speaking recently Malta’s tourism Minister noted that visitor numbers had risen each month since November 2006 – this was due though to the low cost airlines starting to fly to Malta, more than anything the government had done or the tourism board to promote Malta as a holiday destination.

Commenting on the need to diversify the range of holidays Malta is able to offer potential visitors, he said:

‘Today we cannot rely any more on the formula ‘sun, sea and sand’. We are diversifying our product into new tourism segments, namely cultural tourism, English language learning, conferences and incentives, sports, and Gozo as a destination on its own. Together these segments make up about 40 per cent of all tourists coming to Malta. This means that we are on the right track of diversification.’

At the moment some 150,000 tourists visit Malta each year specifically for the island’s history and culture, but there is no specific target set to hit in the coming years.

Commenting on Malta’s pitch for the culture and heritage market, a local travel guide says ‘From what we can see there isn’t a figure the tourism bosses have in mind – and that’s hardly surprising given their dismal record in the past when it come to attracting holidaymakers to Malta.’

The optimism from Malta is in sharp contrast to just a couple of years ago when some major holiday companies were considering dropping Malta as a holiday option altogether.

With a downward spiral in visitor numbers in successive years, the Maltese government finally relented to pressure from the Malta holidays industry and allowed low cost carriers to fly to the island for the first time in November 2006.

Competition was keen between the airlines to take up the lucrative UK to Malta route, and Dublin based Ryanair was chosen over rivals easyJet to take up the route, and the island has benefitted this year with a sharp increase in tourists, reversing six years of decline.

Since then the island’s tourist authorities have finally waken up to the fact that competition in the skies could bring more benefits to the country than protecting her national airline, and new routes have opened between Malta with Germany, Spain and Scandanavia.

New official figures show that this year’s all important summer season has been the best in six years for Malta, reversing the decline in fortunes for the Mediterranean island.

The good news for Malta is that despite the increase in the number of tourists arriving on the island via low cost flights, the occupancy levels of hotels has increased from basic to 5 star, showing that Malta can appeal to all, which is why perhaps culture and history are seen as sectors of the travel market that could bring even more visitors to the island, but time will tell if government led directions can really be beneficial for Malta’s holiday and airline industries.

My California Trip 2008 (Coachella)

My cousin and I flew to California for Coachella. I went to the last show (Roger Waters) but spent the first two days running about in the rental car. Here’s the video.

Upper Peninsula Summer 2008

Waterfalls & family

Crater Lake 2008

Michele and I had a very abreviated camping vacation this year. We took 3 days after Labor Day to camp and tour the lake in one complete day. This video is offered in high definition at www.vimeo.com/reelneal.

2008 KEYSTONE MONTANA

THIS 4 SLIDE TOW BEHIND FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER, 34 FOOTER HAS A POWER AWNING, SOLID SURFACE COUNTERTOPS, ELECTRIC REAR JACKS, GEL COAT EXTERIOR, AND ALOT OF STORAGE BOTH INSIDE AND OUT. THIS REAR LOUNGE HAS 2 RECLINERS THAT BACK UP TO A HUGE PICTURE WINDOW IN THE BACK, BIG SOFA/DINETTE SLIDE THAT GIVES YOU PLENTY OF ROOM IN THE LIVING ROOM. THE KITCHEN ISLAND PROVIDES YOU WITH PLENTY OF COOKING SPACE. AND THE MASTER BEDROOM HAS A KING SIZED BED, AND LOTS OF PLACES TO PUT YOUR CLOTHES AND LINENS. CALL MIKE SIMPKINS 1-888-310-7744

Flying Start For 2008 Holidays

As regular as Santa coming down the chimney at Christmas, the travel industry gives a dire warning of hard times for the year ahead, prices rising, and bookings looking poor.

But 2008 has been an exception with what could be record numbers booking for not just winter holidays but putting deposits down for a summer holiday.

Nearly all traditional travel agents and on-line travel sites report a surge of interest with many translating into bookings around the Christmas period.

ABTA, The British Association of Travel Agents, who safeguard consumer interests for the travelling public in the UK, put the rise in holiday bookings down to the awful weather in the country last summer.

The weather ABTA refer to were floods that affected large parts of England, claimed four lives, and left a hundred thousand homes without water for two weeks in parts of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Insurance companies have warned that the floods will ultimately cost small businesses millions, and insurers have processed tens of millions in claims from homeowners. The British government has given emergency aid to the worst affected areas to help with the cost of the clear-up. Yorkshire in the north of England saw some of the heaviest flooding, with thousands of homes left without power and three people dying.

Included in the holiday areas that have benefitted from the booking surge are Malta, Tenerife, Menorca, Majorca and Lanzarote – some of the favourites from previous years.

Early reports from Malta suggest that the holiday island had a best ever year for tourism in 2007, and is now considering how she can broaden her appeal to entice more tourists to the Mediterranean sunshine isle. Malta Airport saw a record number of passenger flights arriving in 2007 thanks to the low cost airlines bringing in extra visitors, and 2008 looks set to be busier still as more competition arrives.

The Canary Islands are hosting a winter festival of classical music and hopes to boost its visitors before the summer begins. The fourth largest island of Lanzarote, named for its red mountains, will host several of the festival’s upcoming concerts. Lanzarote is well known for its picturesque volcanic landscapes. It is perhaps also just as well known for its futuristic appearance and controlled development of wildlife and plant life.

Another of the Canary Islands, Tenerife, is known for its great winter climate and attracts nearly three and a half million tourists a year to its scenic 2,034 square kilometers. Most of Tenerife’s tourism comes from the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Italy and France, among many others. The island is home to many beautiful resorts, including the Playas de las Americas and Los Cristianos. In fact, recent legislation was passed to ensure that any future resort construction must either be of five-star status or offer resort luxuries like golf courses or banquet facilities.

It is likely that both Tenerife and Lanzarote will see their first quarter tourism numbers up for 2008, and if bookings continue as they have been can look forward to a good 2008.

Bucktail Summer 2008

Here is our camping video.. Evrything went ok exp i took a nasty spill down steps and sprined my ankle.Other then that it was ok..