Lonely Planet declares Malta a place ‘you need to visit next year’

The Malta Tourism Authority is happy to note that Lonely Planet considers Malta as one of the ten countries that its readers ‘need to visit next year’. Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book publisher in the world and has just published its ‘Best in Travel 2018’ recommendations.

Its online report refers to Malta’s long history that is ‘vividly evident’ thanks to its prehistoric temples, 17th-century fortifications, catacombs and air-raid shelters. It also notes that Malta ‘is experiencing a moment’ and mentions the buildup for Valletta’s role as European Capital of Culture for 2018. The short write-up about the Maltese islands also mentions ‘a laid-back lifestyle born out of proximity to warm sea, beaches and more than 300 annual days of sunshine’.

Reacting to this publication, MTA’s CEO. Paul Bugeja confirmed the Authority’s commitment in branding the islands in the best way possible and ensuring that prospective visitors’ expectations are met. He held that such reviews make it even more important for the MTA to safeguard Maltese heritage, for the sake of both current and future generations.

The MTA’s Chief Marketing Officer, Carlo Micallef, emphasized the continuous effort that the Authority makes in order to make certain that the things worth mentioning about Malta are given their due importance within the context of an international market.

Malta was already named ‘Number One Travel Secret’ by Lonely Planet in 2016. Amongst many other significant online features, this year Valletta ranked first out of ten best alternative city breaks in Europe by The Guardian online.

Ramla Bay in Gozo was listed in The Guardian’s list of best fifty beaches in the world. According to the Daily Express, Malta is one of the top ten destinations to travel in 2017 and Travel Weekly USA described Malta as a Hot New Destination in Europe for 2017.

Malta has made international headlines on a different subject altogether, whereby it has been commended as the most LGBT friendly country on the European rainbow map. Conventions Malta has also won gold as best overseas convention bureau at the M&IT awards the UK, and Virtuoso accepted the MTA as a Luxury Travel Partner in its exclusive portfolio.