Sports tourism and diving sector to benefit from new Covid-19 tourism schemes with €100 vouchers

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo announced two new incentives aimed at supporting sport tourism as well as the diving sector in order to attract tourists to Malta.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Bartolo said that a total of €1.5m are being allocated to support sports tourism and another €750,000 will be allocated to the diving sector.

Minister Bartolo said “with a scheme amounting to €750,000 we will be giving a €100 voucher for each foreign tourist who intends to come to Malta to practise this hobby”.

He explained that for tourists to benefit from this scheme they need to apply via a form found on www.visitmalta.com, where among other things, the tourist will be asked to present a copy of the airline tickets. Once the Malta Tourism Authority ensures that the application is legit, it will send the €100 voucher to the tourist via email.

The voucher must be spent entirely at diving centres around Malta and Gozo, Bartolo said.

For more information, the list of licensed diving centres will also be accessible on the MTA website.

Bartolo added that the overall effect that such a scheme is expected to have on the Maltese economy is that of €12m, with €3m being used on the island of Gozo.

With regards to the scheme, aimed at supporting sport tourism, Bartolo explained that each organiser will benefit from €100 for each participant/athlete who comes to Malta to participate in a sporting activity. The disciplines that will benefit from this scheme are those accredited by Sports Malta.

Bartolo emphasised that participants who qualify for this scheme must be foreign, come to Malta as tourists and not foreigners who reside in Malta.

“This scheme is expected to start from July, while the first scheme aimed at helping the diving sector is expected to start in June,” he said.

Throughout the past three weeks, Minister Bartolo also announced other incentivies for the hospitality industry. These include the new scheme which gives tourists, who book a summer holiday to Malta directly through local hotels, a financial handout; five new air routes which will start operating in Malta in conjunction with Ryanair as well as schemes aimed at supporting the accomodation and MICE sector.