Italian operator leases Bugibba Holiday Complex and Miramare

St Julian's, 22/10/07 - The Rome-based Naxas group of companies has leased two three star hotels in Malta - the Bugibba Holiday Complex from Island Hotels Group and the Miramare Hotel from Robert Arrigo & Sons (RAS).

The Bugibba Holiday Complex, closed by its owners earlier this month, has been leased for three years by Naxas (see Bugibba Holiday Complex to close down). The property will remain a three star, but is being renamed the Bugibba Holiday Club and will only operate from April to October.

Mark Camilleri, former sales and marketing director at the Dolmen Resort Hotel has been appointed manager and is also responsible for sales. He tells Island Travel Trader Online the property will focus on a mix of student travel and tour operator business.

The keys of the Miramare Hotel, meanwhile, will be handed to Naxas at the end of the month. RAS will close the property on Sunday, 28 October and Naxas's contractors will start a major renovation and refurbishment programme on 4 November, says newly appointed general manager Mark Camilleri.

For starters, the property's name will change to the St Julian's Bay Hotel and it, too, will retain its classification. "Our intention", says Camilleri, "is to transform the building into a modern, contemporary, superior three star boutique hotel".

Works - price tagged at Lm400,000 - will include revamping the hotel's façade and entrance. The lobby, restaurant and all public areas will be completely redesigned and renovated.

Bedrooms will be redecorated and have new furniture whilst new bathrooms will be installed. As the St Julian's Bay Hotel, the property will have 70 standard land view rooms and 15 superior sea view rooms all furnished with air-conditioning, safe, mini bar, hairdryer, TV and direct dial telephone.

A small business centre offering internet access and secretarial services will also be made available when the property reopens on 1 April 2008, although completion of works is scheduled for 4 March.

Between April and September hotel guests will be entitled to use the Neptunes pool situated opposite the property.

Unlike the Bugibba Holiday Club, the St Julian's Bay Hotel will not be focusing on student travel, but mostly on FIT and tour operator business. Much of its marketing will be done online, Camilleri says, "as this is the way the marketing is going".

Naxas, meantime, has been programming and selling English language courses to Malta for several years. Robert Arrigo & Sons handles its ground arrangements and Inlingua is the school contracted for courses.

Air Malta turns 13 into a lucky number

Luqa, 22/10/07 - Air Malta has just launched its second winter sale campaign titled 13 has just turned lucky, in which it is selling travel to 18 destinations from Malta at Lm13 one-way (excluding taxes and charges).

"With the 13 has just turned lucky campaign, Air Malta is once again offering another unbeatable chance to its customers wishing to travel to 18 destinations at a lower-cost", said Brian Bartolo, general manager marketing and product. "The airline is continuing to reaffirm its commitment to be a value-focused-airline by offering an enhanced level of service at value for money prices", he added.

A substantial number of seats are on offer for travel between 13 January and 13 March 2008. And tickets must be bought and paid for by 13 December 2007. Needles to say, certain conditions and travel date restrictions apply. Flyaway Tours hotels with excellent value for money in all countries are also available.

This winter sale is being offered to: Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Birmingham, Brussels, Budapest, Casablanca, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, London Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick, Manchester, Milan, Paris, Rome, Vienna and Zurich.

Norwegian Air Shuttle to link Oslo and Malta from spring

Mosta, 22/10/07 - Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS) plans to start scheduled services from Oslo to Malta on 5 April 2008. The low cost carrier will be operating two frequencies a week - on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Flights will leave the Norwegian capital at 14:05 for the four hour, 10-minute flight to Malta; the homeward-bound leg will leave the island at 19:10.

One-way, tax inclusive fares start at €24, escalating to €208 per person. Like most other low cost carriers, bookings for NAS flights are made online at www.norwegian.no. However, although Norwegian Air Shuttle quotes prices in euros, accounts are debited in Norwegian kroners.

"We are very proud to include Malta in our already extensive European network", says Daniel Skjeldam, NAS chief commercial officer. "Malta has always been a favourite destination for Scandinavians and we realised that there is great demand, judging from the numerous enquiries we receive from our customers. We believe that with low prices and a direct flight, it will be a success".

Norwegian Air Shuttle is collaborating with the Malta Tourism Authority and Malta International Airport (MIA) to promote the route in Norway.

MIA's CEO, Peter Bolech, meantime, says this is an important step towards increasing the passenger flow to Malta, especially from the Scandinavian market that has not been sufficiently tapped.

NAS started operating in September 2002 with four domestic routes and six B737-300 aircraft. Today it has 31 aircraft and an additional 53 new B737-800s on order. It offers a flight network of 128 routes to 76 destinations from Norway, Sweden and Poland.

EC buys language school in Boston

St Julian's, 22/10/07 - Maltese owned EC has gained a foothold in the United States by buying a well-established language school in Boston.

The Olin Centre, which has been renamed EC Boston, joins the growing portfolio of English language centres owned by Ta' Xbiex headquartered EC. The company - established in 1991 - now owns schools in London, Cambridge and Brighton, in the United Kingdom, and in Cape Town. However, the largest schools are located in Malta.

With continued expansion EC's head office remains in Malta. Currently employing more than 152 people in Malta and more than 275 part-time staff in summer.

EC CEO Andrew Mangion says he is "thrilled with the addition of our latest centre, this acquisition adds a new and exciting dimension to our company. As a Maltese owned company we are proud to expand into the US and look forward to sustained expansion in America".

The company, says Mangion, is focused upon further involvement in the US language travel industry and is greatly encouraged by continued discussions concerning the introduction of a double taxation agreement between the US and Malta.

Along with its regular suite of marketing material, EC will be producing a brochure to promote EC Boston. The brochure will provide agents and prospective students with full programme details as well as practical visitor information.

Cruise traffic on the rise

Valletta, 22/10/07 - In August 80,176 cruise liner passengers visited Malta, an increase of 10,034 over the same month last year. Embarkations and landings stood at 1,615 and 1,599 respectively, reports the National Statistics Office (NSO).

In the first eight months of the year, total cruise passenger traffic amounted to 303,232, an increase of 24.2 per cent over the same period last year. Same-day visitors from EU countries accounted for 83.3 per cent of total traffic, the principal markets being Italy, Spain and Germany. The US market remained substantial, representing more than half of non-EU passengers. The growth was underpinned by increases from the Spanish and Italian markets.

On a gender basis, males outnumbered females passengers by 2.9 per cent. The largest proportion of passengers - 34.9 per cent - were aged between 40 and 59 years old, followed by those in the 20 to 39 age bracket who accounted for 23.1 per cent of the total.

In August three more liners called at Malta compared to August 2006, bringing the total for the first eight months of the year to 208 compared to 202 in the same period last year.

Outbound travel up 12% in 2007

Valletta, 22/10/07 - In August 35,836 Malta residents travelled abroad. Of these 29,177 travelled to European Union destinations, the most popular being Italy and the UK, the National Statistics Office reports.

In the first eight months of the year, meanwhile, 188,163 residents travelled internationally, an increase of 12.1 per cent over the same period in 2006. Of these 85.5 per cent travelled to European Union destinations; the most visited countries being Italy and the United Kingdom.

During this period, male passengers exceeded female ones, the former accounting for 58.4 per cent of the total.

The largest proportion of outbound passengers - 45.3 per cent - comprised passengers aged between 25 and 44 years, followed by those in the 45 to 64 age bracket who accounted for 39.3 per cent of total travellers.

Bugibba Holiday Complex to close down

Bugibba, 08/10/07 - This is the last week of operations for the Bugibba Holiday Complex. On Friday this three star property will close permanently.

The Bugibba Holiday Complex has had several loss-making seasons and last year the management decided to close it for winter. At the time Island Travel Trader Online predicted that it would make a token reappearance this summer and then be closed permanently by October 2007 (see IHG to close Bugibba Holiday Complex in winter).

The 208 room Bugibba Holiday Complex was the first property opened by the Island Hotels Group (IHG) in 1987; offering a combination of hotel rooms and timeshare units it became synonymous with the growth of the resort it was named after.

However, like the rest of the three star accommodation sector, the complex has seen its income shrink in the last few years as the more star-loaded categories drop their rates and squeeze this segment out of the market.

Although the property will close on Friday "a number of staff will be retained at the complex to keep it maintained and secure", IHG director of operations Winston Zahra told Island Travel Trader Online.

This hints at the possibility that the closure may not be the end of the Bugibba Holiday Complex. "The final decision on what will happen to the property has not yet been taken, although we do not exclude reopening it as a hotel in a totally different format in the future", says Zahra.

"We believe there is still a market in the three star sector, although not with a product like the Bugibba Holiday Complex is at the moment. Opening with a redefined product has not yet been ruled out", Zahra adds.

The rest of the complex's staff, meanwhile, "have all been looked after and relocated to similar positions at other IHG properties.

"No one has lost his job or been made redundant, and many have actually made a forward move in as far as their hospitality career is concerned", says Zahra.