January/December 2010
Malta signs five-year growth deal with Thomas Cook • Thomas Cook offers peace deal to Spain • Destinations damage tourism with new taxes • Heli Tours ceases flying • Milano Due ‘enjoys fruits’ of refurbishment • Block of flats for Metropole site • Cruise traffic down 17% in September • Fewer Maltese travel to Italy • Etihad codeshares with Air Malta • British travellers resent having to pay for hotel extras • Poland’s Orbis goes bust, passengers stranded in Malta • ELFAA calls for fairer, more proportionate passenger rights • August cruise visitors down • Ryanair announces Malta-Birmingham route • Q2 hotels results upbeat, but profits at four year low • Corinthia Hotels to manage second Egyptian property, announces London opening • July cruise traffic down six points • Outbound travel on the rise • Air Malta and Austrian Airlines pen codeshare agreement • Air Malta gains IOSA standard for the third time • Ryanair adds Eindhoven to its Malta network • ‘Revolutionising’ the way to visit the Maltese islands • MHRA to launch F&B standards scheme • Cruises International sets a new travel record • New attraction opens in Valletta • Hoteliers clawing back lost ground • CHI to manage Sicilian golf resort hotels • Ash cloud curtails outbound travel • MIA May results unscathed by volcanic ash aftermath • Cruise line traffic up 47% in four months • British adds features • Compensation increase for ‘bumped’ US passengers • MHRA accuses government of insensitivity over road works • Ryanair Malta base to sustain 'airport jobs' • EU liquids ban in place until 2013 • Air Malta introduces Turin frequency • Amphora launches summer brochure • Outbound travel up 18 points • Air traffic down six points in April • Q1 cruise traffic up 44 per cent • Book early and save offer from KM • Hertz buys Dollar Thrifty • Malta suffers more from ash crisis than elsewhere • Air Malta to launch aggressive marketing campaign • Air Malta adds 30 extra flights as airlines cancel 434 flights • Conference expected to cause bed shortage • Steep rise in southern European hotel prices in April • Air Malta plans record breaking loads in 2010 • Kempinski San Lawrenz and Westin Dragonara top awards nominations • Passenger traffic up 9% in Q1 • Two women arrested for trying to smuggle corpse on to aircraft • Malta reintroduces border checks for Pope’s visit • Post office to sell e-tickets to attractions • Corinthia launches free meetings concept • Cruise liner traffic down 20% in February • Ryanair to “reverse downward trend” • Outbound traffic down in January • 20th edition of Island Travel Yearbook published, retail price reduced • MIA issues 2009 financials and revises forecast for 2010 • New easyJet routes to be introduced by end of March • Egyptair to add Red Sea frequency • MIA traffic up seven points in 2010 • 'Three-fifty tax' replaces controversial bed tax • Low fares airlines grow nine per cent in 2009 • KM outperformed most European carriers in 2009 • Cruise liner traffic down 28 per cent in January • MIA kicks-off 2010 with traffic increases • Facelift for Kempinski San Lawrenz spa • MIA builds business park • United Travel to acquire major stake in Top Team • Heli Tours take delivery of second chopper