| With official tourism office statistics | | | | Helping Malta's image in the UK, Germany and |
| showing a near ten per cent rise in visitor | | | | other countries have been reports placing |
| figures for 2007 compared to 2006, a long | | | | Malta at the top of tourist safety tables. |
| period of decline has been reversed for | | | | |
| people taking holidays in Malta. | | | | An American journalist last year placed the |
| | | | small Mediterranean island of Malta as one of |
| From a dramatic position in 2006 when a major | | | | the five safest travel destinations in the |
| UK tour operator was considering withdrawing | | | | world, and a new report from the US this year |
| Malta from its brochures, not only has Malta | | | | confirms Malta as one of the safest vacation |
| increased the number of tourists visiting the | | | | spots in the world. |
| island, but a British newspaper has included | | | | |
| Malta in its top 20 places to visit - a real | | | | This year's report bears more official weight |
| reversal in fortunes. | | | | than the previous one by a travel writer, as |
| | | | it was compiled by the US State Department. |
| The British newspaper decribed Malta as a | | | | |
| holiday 'honeypot'. | | | | Commenting on Malta, the report praises the |
| | | | island for the non existence of organised |
| Malta has always been a likely spot for the | | | | crime, especially surprising perhaps given |
| British, with nearly all Maltese speaking | | | | her proximity to mainland Italy - and closer |
| fluent English - and like the British the | | | | still to notorious Sicily. |
| Maltese drive on the left. | | | | |
| | | | A surprise for many who have driven in Malta |
| Malta used to be governed by the British, | | | | is that the report considers the island's |
| until 1964 when Malta became independent. | | | | roads to be safe. But this is backed up by |
| | | | official EU figures showing Malta has the |
| But outside of the UK holiday market, Malta | | | | lowest road related fatalities in the EU. |
| hasn't enjoyed the same levels of visitors | | | | |
| from other European countries such as Italy | | | | Last year's report helped to promote Malta's |
| and Germany, compared to her competitor | | | | image as a safe destination to potential |
| Spanish islands of Mallorca and Tenerife. | | | | tourists considering different holiday |
| | | | destinations. |
| But that is now set to change, with a further | | | | |
| boost for the Malta holiday and hotel | | | | Malta ranked as one of the top five locations |
| markets, vital to the island's economy. | | | | for safety in the world, according to |
| | | | American travel writer Laura McKenzie. |
| A low cost airline in Germany, Germanwings, | | | | |
| started flights from Germany to Malta in late | | | | In her report Ms McKenzie said of the |
| March, and with good bookings is looking to | | | | Mediterranean holiday island 'In Malta there |
| increase the number of flights to the island. | | | | is no such thing as a dark and uninviting |
| | | | alley, while the police force is one of the |
| Safe Holiday Destination | | | | oldest in the world'. |
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